


Anata no Tame ni Akogare: If Only You Knew

by CaraMiaBambina



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona
Genre: Confidant AU, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Makoto discovers she's very dominant, Mutual Pining, Non-Penetrative Sex, Penetrative Sex, Ryuji has some weird kinks, Sexual Content, but its gonna have a lot of angst, instead of akira helping makoto with eiko its ryuji, maid costumes at some point, there some cute stuff in here too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-29
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-01-25 22:54:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 36,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12543068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaraMiaBambina/pseuds/CaraMiaBambina
Summary: A misunderstanding is all it is. We're holding hands, but this is just an act... right? But why does it feel like so much more?A Ryukoto fic based on an RP. An AU where Ryuji takes the place of Akira during Makoto's Confidant Link.Anata no Tame ni Akogare roughly translates to "I longed for you" or "Yearning for you."





	1. Take my Hand

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CrowgoesCaw](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrowgoesCaw/gifts).



Akira Kurusu could tell. He knew from the moment Makoto Niijima had gained her own Persona that his best friend Ryuji Sakamoto was head over heels for her. Even just the way Ryuji seemed to straighten up his posture around Makoto and the goofy little grin that spread across his face when they passed her in the halls at school told Akira everything he needed to know. He’d felt the same way when he first met Ann at the beginning of the school year, having seen her in the rain looking up at him so innocently, Akira’s heart had been set on her ever since. But unlike Ryuji, he’d actually had the bravery to ask the object of his affections out.

“I see it too,” Ann stated during their lunch break. She and Akira liked to sit together and share lunches, she always tried to avoid the vegetables he’d pack in the bentos he made for her. “Ryuji is totally gaga for her. It’s actually kind of cute. And when Makoto dragged him along to spread the calling card around yesterday? He kept texting me about how Makoto was so smart, and how she was so nice to him, and how much work she must have gone through to set all of it up. Oh and he tried to hide all the Makoto praising by telling me how excited he was to kick Kaneshiro’s ass…” 

Akira chuckled, “Sure. He was excited about _Kaneshiro_ …”

Morgana, who was lying in Akira’s desk napping, cracked an eye open and grumbled something about Ryuji being too stupid for his own good. Akira gave him a swift pat on the head before finishing his lunch. 

“Speaking of Kaneshiro,” Ann glanced around the room, glad their classmates were too busy with their own lunches to listen in on them. “We’re taking the treasure tonight, right?”

Akira nodded, “The calling card’s been sent. It’s all we can do right now.”

* * *

 

The treasure had been stolen, and now they just had to wait for the change of heart to take place. Who knew how long that would take, but at least they knew they’d be safe from those pictures being leaked for now. Makoto had texted the group to tell them Kaneshiro had told her he deleted them. 

“Aww man this is great! We’re gonna be household names eventually! Shit, I bet ya we are already!” Ryuji exclaimed as he and Akira made their way down the hall at school. 

Akira glanced up from his texts with Ann to shoot a warning to keep it down at the dyed blond before he noticed Makoto standing awkwardly by the Student Council room. She looked worried, with her hand cupped over her chin and her eyes downcast toward the ground. Ryuji stopped dead in his tracks, having noticed the brunette too. His familiar giddy pink returning to his face as he immediately approached her. 

“Hey Makoto!” He certainly wasn’t shy. He rubbed the back of his neck as she looked up at him curiously. 

“Oh… Sakamoto-san, Kurusu-san. Hello. I haven’t heard anything else from Kaneshiro yet… Though he deleted the photos of us, so that’s some good news I suppose,” Makoto sighed.

“What’s up? You seem a little down,” Akira asked. Ryuji nodded in agreement. 

Makoto flushed bright red. She was a little embarrassed to confess this, but she had recently joined the team, and they had insisted on calling them her friends, so… “Oh um, well I was just… Ever since I gained… well,” She leaned in a little closer to the two boys and whispered, “I don’t really want to talk about it out in the open like this.”

Immediately Ryuji grabbed the girl by the wrist and started dragging her off toward the courtyard. Makoto gasped, turning to look at Akira, who simply shrugged at herwith a sly grin before following the two. Makoto was dragged out to the courtyard, having to jog extra hard to keep up with Ryuji’s longer stride.

“S-Sakamoto-san what are you doing…?” She protested before he stopped by the vending machines and grasped her shoulders, sitting her on the bench nearby. Akira was only a few steps behind them.

“Here. We’re alone now and no one usually comes out here right now. Ya can talk to us about yer concerns. And I told ya when we were spreadin’ the callin’ card around ya can call us by our first names. We’re friends now, Makoto,” Ryuji huffed.

Morgana popped his head out from Akira’s bag and hissed at the messy haired boy, “This is your chance you know. You can set them up!! Make up some excuse that you gotta go!”

Akira’s eyes grew wider and he nodded, taking a step back. “Whoa uh… sorry Ryuji, I just remembered I can’t practice with you today. Ann just texted me, she wants me to help move some stuff over at her parents’ place…” He hoped that’d be a good enough excuse. “I’ll leave you two to talk. It’s not that I don’t wanna join in but I promised Ann I’d help her out.”

Makoto looked utterly confused still, glancing between Ryuji and Akira with her jaw agape and one brow raised inquisitively. “Um.. I suppose if you must… I really don’t mind,” she mumbled. “D-don’t keep her waiting because of me…”

“Yeah yeah! It’s totally fine, Akira! Ann’s yer girlfriend so I understand. We’ll go running tomorrow then, yeah?” Ryuji waved him off, as if impatiently waiting for Akira to get the hell out of there. Akira offered a small wave to Makoto as he turned and left, leaving the Student Council President utterly confused and alone with Ryuji.

Ryuji wasted no time in plopping down on the bench next to her, a small, reassuring grin on his face. Brown eyes laid upon her and a silence fell between them for a solid five minutes. Makoto avoided looking at him, unsure why her face felt so hot and her heartbeat was pounding in her ears. The only sound that resonated between them was the constant hum of the vending machines, their fluorescent glow making Makoto’s already porcelain skin glow like moonlight. Ryuji couldn’t keep his gaze off her.

“So?” He began.

“S-so what?” She asked, finally turning to look directly at him.

“Ya said ya had somethin’ to talk about,” Ryuji raised one of his brows at her, the darker brow contrasting against the bleached hair atop his head. Makoto’s eyes dropped to her lap again.

“It’s… It’s embarrassing. But I suppose w-we’re friends now, correct? I shouldn’t feel awkward talking about this with you then…” She fidgeted with the hem of her tartan skirt, noticing a loose thread here and there. She made a mental note that she’d have to fix that later tonight. Right now she wanted to focus on getting her worries off her chest.

“Hey, Makoto, if ya ain’t comfortable talkin’ about it then ya don’t gotta.”

“I do though! I want to get this off my chest… I,” she took a deep breath, looking up at him with a small grin. “I feel like I can’t connect to my peers. Up until recently, I’ve been so focused on becoming the prim and proper quintessential honour student that everyone knows me as that I’ve had no time to get to know my peers. I’ve had no time to be a kid and enjoy my youth like I see everyone else doing. It wasn’t until I gained my Persona that I realized I’d missed out on a lot of stuff growing up. I felt like I’ve had to fit the mould that others had made for me.”

It felt so wonderful. A sense of relief washed over her as she confessed. 

Ryuji was surprisingly quiet, his gaze never leaving her as she spoke. Her face got hotter and the pounding of her heartbeat in her ears was louder than ever, but she continued on, “I felt terrible when Suzui-san attempted suicide earlier this year. People are still talking behind my back, saying I’m Kobayakawa’s doormat or that I’m a teacher’s pet and would do anything to keep Kamoshida’s record clean. But… I had no idea what was happening at the time…”

“Hey,” Ryuji reached out, firmly gripping at her shoulder in reassurance. “It ain’t yer fault. I did the same thing. Y’know, about fitting the mould thingy that other people were forcin’ me into? That. And uhhh we were kind of dicks t’ya before ya joined us… Sorry ‘bout that.” He rubbed at the back of his neck, looking sheepishly at her.

“Oh, it’s okay Sakamoto-san.”

“Ryuji. Use my first name, it’s okay.”  
“R-Ryuji. Right… Well, I think the main point I’m trying to make is that I want to relate to my peers a little more. I’d like to actually experience life as a kid again, you know?” Makoto cupped her chin in thought, looking down at her feet for a moment.

Ryuji’s heart was threatening to burst from his chest. The way she had hesitated when saying his name and the cute blush on her features made his ears turn pink. He cleared his throat and beamed at her, “Then ya came to th’right guy! I’m like… the champ at bein’ a kid still! Just ask Ann! She’s always bitchin’ at me t’act more mature!”

That got a laugh from the brunette, making his heart flip in his chest. Ryuji jumped up from the bench, a newfound sense of confidence in him as he turned to Makoto and reached his hand out to her. For a short moment the faux blonde and the brunette stared at each other awkwardly, unsure of what to say to each other. He shook his hand, gesturing for her to take it.

“Oh um…” She began, brows knitting in worry.

“Take my hand, Makoto,” Ryuji sighed, rolling his eyes. “C’mon ya ain’t that out of the loop are ya?”

“No, but… why do you want me to hold your hand?” She hesitantly slipped her hand into his, confusion in her tone and her head tilted to the side.

Ryuji helped her to her feet before he turned and began leading her out of the courtyard. He kept at a rather normal pace at first, not wanting any teachers that might be wandering about to yell at him for running in the halls. Makoto tried to yank her hand free of his, noticing the stares they were getting from other students and the staff making their way to their respective clubs, meetings, and activities. If her face was hot with a blush before, now it was boiling with embarrassment. 

“R-Ryuji! Where are we going?!” She hissed, trying to ignore the girl they had just passed who had given them a strange look before snickering and whispering something to her friend.

They’d reached the front entrance of the school, Ryuji still tugging Makoto along before Makoto managed to rip her hand away from him and stamp her foot to grab his attention. Ryuji paused, looking over his shoulder at her with a dumbfounded look on his face. He opened his mouth as if to say something before groaning and turning around so he was face to face with her.

“I got distracted. Sorry. I just wanted t’take ya out t’do somethin’ fun. You said somethin’ about wantin’ to experience things that yer peers do and so I thought I’d help ya with that. So I thought I’d take ya out to… Like the arcade or somethin’? Guess that was stupid of me, huh?” He explained, looking away from her and rubbing the back of his neck. _Idiot! She’s not the type that wants to hang around an arcade_ , He thought to himself.

“Oh… Well why didn’t you say that? I asked you where we were going,” Makoto felt a sense of relief wash over her. He wasn’t dragging her off to her doom at all. She giggled softly and shook her head, “I’ve never been to an arcade before, actually. I think that would be fun.”

Ryuji’s head whipped around to look at her, his eyes wide and a smile splitting across his face. “For Real?! Then what are ya yammerin’ about? Let’s go!! We coulda made it to the subway station by now!!” 

He grabbed her hand again, holding it tightly as he turned and headed for the front doors. The moment his feet descended the stairs and hit the asphalt of the street he quickened his pace. Makoto had to run in order to keep up, panting heavily when he nearly began sprinting.

“Slow down!! It’s not like the arcade is going anywhere!!” She called after him. 

“Can’t! I gotta show ya all the coolest games there! And if we don’t hurry we’ll hafta wait for days to get a turn!” He continued to run with her until they got to the station.

* * *

 

 **[SMS To: Panther]  
** Mona was right. I just watched them run off towards the subway station together.

**[SMS To: Joker]  
** Really?! Oh awesome! I wonder where they’re going.

**[SMS To: Panther]  
** Dunno. But they both looked pretty happy about it. Well, besides the fact that Makoto was yelling at him to slow down.

**[SMS To: Joker]  
** LMAO! Yay!! They’re TOTALLY gonna hit it off!! We did it!

**[SMS To: Panther]  
** Woo! Now… about that date we had planned…

Akira glanced up from his phone at the cat-like creature leaning against his shoulder. “Guess all that scheming worked out for us, huh Morgana?” He asked, smirking.

“Mrrrwh, maybe Makoto’ll be able to make Ryuji smarter…” Morgana rolled his eyes. “And its no fair you get to take Lady Ann out on dates all the time. When I’m human I bet she’ll find me the most handsome~” 

Akira snorted and shook his head, starting off toward the subways station.


	2. A New Subject To Study

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not quite a date, but close to it. Curse those terrible teen hormones...

Ryuji’s heart beat mercilessly against his ribcage. Of all the girls he’d ever known in his life, Makoto was by far the prettiest. Okay, so that wasn’t exactly true. Ann was probably just as pretty, maybe even more so, but he considered her more like a sister. And celebrities? He didn’t stand a chance with Idol girls and movie stars. No one did. And the girls in his class? They paled in comparison to Makoto. Right now though, he was standing so close to the student council president on the subway train to Shibuya that he couldn’t help but stare at her.

“Is there something on my face?” She asked, lifting a hand up to helplessly paw at her porcelain skin. “You’ve been staring at me for the last three stops.”

Ryuji cleared his throat, finally tearing his eyes away from her. His face and ears went pink, and if the train wasn’t so damn crowded he’d have lifted his hand to rub at the back of his neck. “N-No I just uh… didn’t know where else t’look y’know? Sorry…”

“Uhh, okay?”

Great, now he’d made this awkward. He cleared his throat again, trying his best to keep his eyes away from Makoto at all costs. The train announcement rang out, stating that the next stop was Shibuya station. Only a few more minutes in this uncomfortable situation and he could show her the wonderful world of video games. That would totally make up for staring at her when she was literally two inches away from him, right? 

The train turned a corner too sharply, making everyone standing in the car lose their balance and fall over to the left. Makoto lost her balance as well, falling forward into Ryuji’s chest with a small gasp. He managed to wrap an arm around her and catch her, holding onto the railing with his other hand in order to balance himself. For a moment the two stayed like that, their eyes meeting for a short second. Ryuji opened his mouth, ready to ask if she was okay before the announcements cut him off, declaring that the train was now entering Shibuya station.

Makoto, flushed pink and clearly a little flustered, pulled away from Ryuji and turned toward the doors of the car, tucking her hair behind her ear. “W-Well we’re here,” She said with a nervous laugh. “You coming or not?”

The doors slid open with a small chime and Ryuji nodded quickly, following the brunette out onto the platform. Wind ruffled the teens’ hair as the doors closed behind them and the train shot off again, leaving them behind. Makoto managed a small sigh of relief, giggling shortly after.

“I can’t believe the trains are so crowded still. I thought rush hour was over,” She commented, starting off towards the platform exit.

“Are you okay, Makoto?” Ryuji asked, still concerned. “Ya took a bit of a tumble in the train back there… I caught ya but… I just wanna make sure.”

Makoto turned to look at him, ruby gaze wide with surprise. No one had ever really asked her that before. Not even her own sister asked her if she was alright—Sae was far too busy with work to even acknowledge that Makoto existed sometimes. She stumbled to answer, not used to answering that question at all.

“I, uhm… I’m fine, why?”

“J-Just makin’ sure! Let’s go! We’re not gonna get to the good games if we keep hangin’ around here,” He reached over and grabbed her hand again, walking towards the exit while tugging her along. His face was still flushed pink.

The streets of Shibuya were crowded as they almost always were. Ryuji managed to swerve through the crowds with ease, much like he had the week prior when he and Makoto had gone about spreading the calling card. And before Makoto could even get a word in edgewise, they were already standing at the bottom of the staircase that lead up to the arcade on Central Street. 

“We’re here,” Ryuji said, letting go of her hand finally and beginning to hop up the steps to the entrance. His leg seemed to give him a little trouble at first, but after the first few steps he had gotten used to it, managing to climb the staircase with relative ease.

Makoto said nothing as she followed him, opting to look at the posters and ads plastered to the walls as they ascended the stairs. It simultaneously blended in and stood out from the rest of the area: On the one hand the constant flyers and posters were quite normal in Shibuya, but on the other hand these ads were for things like gaming competitions, maid cafes, and catered to the general otaku lifestyle. Nothing like the usual ads seen in Shibuya. She felt like she’d been transported to Akihabara and all she’d done was walk up a set of stairs.

The arcade itself was just as crowded as the city streets below. Lights and sounds overwhelmed her as she followed the faux blond to a set of machines that exchanged change into tokens. Her ruby eyes scanned the cramped arcade with awe, amazed by the sights and sounds that competed over each other. She watched a few boys in Kosei High’s uniform cheer loudly as their friend beat the high score on some fighting game. Another group of people were watching with baited breath as a younger boy aimed a fake plastic gun at television, his finger only pulling the trigger when he saw an animated deer jump across the screen. Only a few feet away from Makoto and Ryuji, a girl swayed from side to side cooing softly at her boyfriend while he attempted to win her a plush from the claw machines.

“It’s very…” Makoto began, turning toward Ryuji.

“Cool, right?” He smiled.

“Well I was going to say stimulating… But cool also works, I suppose.” She shrugged and reached for her bag, ready to pull some money out to get tokens.

“Whoa, whoa!” Ryuji stopped her, placing his hand on hers for a moment. “You ain’t payin’, Ms. Prez!”

“What? Why not?” She furrowed her brows at him.

“Cause this is yer first time here, right? It’d be rude of me to let ya waste yer allowance like that. Besides, I was the one who brought ya here. It’s only fair I pay,” He explained, turning to the machine and shoving 500 yen into it.

“It’s only 500 yen for 50 tokens… I think I can handle that, Sakamoto-san,” Makoto replied.

“Mhm, and I wanna pay. Just let me, okay? You can pay for the both of us next time, deal?” He didn’t look at her as he gathered up the tokens that spilled out of the machine. “And I told ya to call me by my first name, damn…”

“Oh, okay… Um, sorry R-Ryuji.”

“Hey,” He began, turning back to her and holding up a plastic cup filled to the brim with tokens. “Let’s show ya a good time, alright? To bein’ a kid again!”

With that he lifted the cup up as if to toast her and cursed when a couple of the tokens spilled out and rolled across the linoleum flooring. Makoto giggled, reaching out and catching one of the tokens before it fell to the floor. 

“I’ve never played a video game in my life,” she confessed. “But… I’ll try my best.”

“It ain’t about bein’ the best! It’s about havin’ fun. As long as you have a good time, I’ll have done my job. Just think of it as like… a new subject t’study! And I’m yer teacher. I’m teachin’ the very important lesson of video games today and I bet after today, Makoto Niijima is gonna be a champ at it too! And if you win? Even better!”

She snorted. “Okay, what game should I try to master first then?”

“You ever play _Gun About_?”

“I just told you I’ve never played a video game before.”

“Right. Well… _Gun About_ ’s a good one. Easy t’play too. Just point the plastic gun at the screen and pull the trigger. Kinda like” —at which point Ryuji then leaned in to whisper— “Y’know how ya shoot yer gun in the Metaverse? Kinda like that.”

“Oh. That sounds easy enough,” Makoto replied, glad he kept his voice down when mentioning their alternate lives as Phantom Thieves.

“Yeah, and look! It’s free for us to play right now!” He exclaimed, pointing to a large arcade machine with a huge screen with flashing images. “You’ll totally kick ass at it, I bet!” He grabbed her hand again and dragged her over to it. 

* * *

Makoto couldn’t hit one target no matter how hard she tried. Ryuji had told her how easy it was to just aim and fire like she did in the Metaverse, but this was nothing like shooting off her revolver in the middle of Mementos or a Palace. Frustrated, she watched as Ryuji’s score went up and up into the thousands while hers stayed at a rather lame 32. He was even hitting the targets she _couldn’t_ hit.

“GAME OVER! Player two wins!” The machine shouted, making Makoto sigh in annoyance.

“Hey! Don’t get so down,” Ryuji began, putting the plastic gun back in its slot at the side of the machine. “You ain’t gonna be the best at it right away! It takes practice! Here, I’ll help you. We got enough tokens t’play another few rounds. I’ll show ya how to do it.”

With that, Ryuji sidestepped so he was behind her. Leaning over, he tossed more tokens into the machine before cupping his hands over hers on the plastic rifle. His chin rested gently on her shoulder. He didn’t even realize how close he was until she asked what on earth he was doing.

“Uhhh, helpin’ ya? Don’t take it the wrong way, you shoot pretty good. But yer aim is all over the place and yer focus is all over too,” He muttered, raising a brow at her.

“No I meant what are you do—“

“GAME START!” The machine cut Makoto off. The first wave of enemies began to flood the screen.

“Focus on the closest ones,” Ryuji whispered into her ear, guiding her hands and by extension the gun controller. He aimed, she pulled the trigger. A headshot!

“I did it!” Makoto gasped.

“There’s more than one enemy, y’know…” Ryuji chuckled, helping her aim again.

The pair managed to keep at it like that for a good three or four more waves of enemies. The higher Makoto’s score got, the more excited she became. Her voice getting louder and more excited the further she managed to get in the campaign. So loud, in fact, that other arcade goers were starting to glance over at them in curiosity. Ryuji certainly noticed all the stares, but Makoto was far too engrossed by the game in front of her to care. When she finally hit a score of one thousand, she bounced excitedly and cheered. 

“I did it! I did it!! In your face!!” She continued to bounce on the balls of her feet. Due to being so close already, Ryuji felt her backside brushing up against him. His face and ears going pink as he felt his pants get somewhat uncomfortable. He decided it was best to let go and take a step back. Better to give her room than to have to awkwardly explain to her just what was brushing up against her skirt…

Makoto didn’t seem to notice at all, turning around to beam proudly up at him with a grin that stretched from one ear to another. Ryuji let out a small sigh of relief and quickly shoved his hands into his pockets. He cursed under his breath, ashamed of his teenage hormones would betray him so easily. 

“You helped me win!!” Makoto exclaimed, still clinging to the plastic gun. “I couldn’t have done it without you, Ryuji! Thank you!!” 

Ryuji’s brown gaze widened. He’d never seen Makoto so genuinely happy before. His blushed deepened and he smiled back at her sheepishly. Bringing a hand up to rub aimlessly at the back of his neck he chuckled, “S’no big deal. Just doin’ what I could t’help ya out. We got like three tokens left. Ya wanna try n’ see if we can win a plush or something at one of the claw machines?”

Anything to make sure she didn’t notice what his other hand in his pocket was trying so desperately to hide from her.

“Hm? Okay…” She glanced over at the row of claw machines, instantly picking one the moment she noticed a rather large Buchimaru plush sitting inside. “That one!”

“Huh?” Ryuji had no time to question her further. Just like he’d grabbed her hand and dragged her along earlier, Makoto was doing the same now, pulling him towards the claw machines with an excited fervour. 

“This one? Why this one? There’s barely anythin’ in it. Just that old panda mascot and a bunch of lame friendship bracelets,” Ryuji asked, clearly bewildered by her choice.

“I think the panda is cute!” She quickly said, pink rising on her face again and her brows furrowing. Ryuji couldn’t help but think she looked adorable. 

“Alright! Alright! Chill out! I get ya! Do ya want me to win it for ya?”

“Really? You’d do that?”

“Well yeah… that’s what guys do, right? They win the plush toys and the girl… uhhh…” He trailed off, rethinking that sentence. Only people on dates did that kind of thing.

“The girl what?” Makoto asked, tilting her head.

“Never mind. Just lemme win ya the stupid bear,” He grumbled, shoving a token into the machine and grabbing the control stick. He aimed the claw for the Buchimaru. Having won tons of things from these claw machines before, he had full confidence he’d be able to grab the bear easily. And for a moment it looked like he had it in the bag. Until it slipped from the claw and fell. 

“Damn it!”

“It’s okay! We have two more tokens! You can try again!” Makoto encouraged. 

“Thanks…” He sighed and shoved another token into the machine, his mood starting to drop the more uncomfortably tight his pants became. Why’d she have to be so damn cute?

His second attempt at it was much more successful. He was able to grab the bear and a bracelet set as well. Makoto jumped up and cheered happily as he bent down to get the prizes from the retrieval slot. He handed them both to her - the Buchimaru plush immediately held close and hugged by the older girl. The bracelet set consisted of two chains, one with a small music note charm, the other with a little star charm on it. 

“Here, you have one,” Makoto suggested, handing him the star bracelet. 

“No way that’s for girls!!”

“What?”

“Charm bracelets are a girl thing. You keep it. I won it fair and square for ya.”

“But-“

“H-hey.. uhhh… it’s gettin’ kinda late. I don’t want yer sister to worry about where ya are so uh… Maybe we should get goin’ yeah?” Ryuji cut her off, rubbing the back of his neck again.

She gave him a rather confused look at first, then Makoto brought her wrist up to look at the time on her watch. “Oh! It’s nearly seven p.m.! I still need to study for my History test next Friday!” She gasped, the bear and bracelets stuffed hastily into her bag.

“Yer gonna study for it now? It’s not for another week.”

“ _Some people_ like to study early so they aren’t cramming it all in the night before…” She gave him a look that made him want to cringe as they headed out the door and down the stairs to Central Street again.

“R-right, right… yeah…. w-well anyways. We both better split. I’ll see ya tomorrow, right Makoto?” He turned to leave, lifting a hand to offer a small wave to her before he left.

“Wait, Ryuji!” Makoto called after him.

He turned to look at her over his shoulder, brow raised inquisitively.

“Th-thank you… for today… C-can we um… Can we do this again sometime? Or maybe just… Actually. There’s something else I’d like to talk to you about…”

His heart leapt in his chest again. The blood rushed down to his loins again and he clamped his jaw, flushing pink once more. “Y-Yeah? What’s up?” He slowly turned back to face her again, shoving his hands in his pockets once again.

“I’ve been getting reports of students from Shujin Academy being seen in… more shadier parts of the city… Shinjuku to be exact. I, er, was wondering if you could maybe… accompany me one day after school to investigate? I’d do so alone but I really don’t feel safe wandering around there by myself. Part of why I wanted to talk to you and Kurusu-san today was to ask for your help in making me feel a little safer when I went to investigate,” Makoto explained shyly.

His hopes dashed a little, Ryuji chuckled in attempt to brush it off. “Yeah! I don’t mind bein' yer bodyguard! Not that you can’t defend yourself! But I understand the feelin’ of wanting someone to be there. Just in case. You let me know when ya wanna do this undercover mission and I’ll be ready for it! Promise!!”

Makoto smiled and Ryuji’s heart shot up into his throat. He needed to get home as soon as possible or he might end up making a fool of himself. He watched her turn to leave, lifting her hand to wave as she started off towards the train station. “Thanks Ryuji!! You’re a life saver! I’ll see you tomorrow!”

* * *

Ryuji rode the train by himself, grin spreading wide across his face the whole time. And when he finally made it back home his mother was there to greet him in the kitchen. She had a cup of tea in her hands and a newspaper propped up against the stove. The sink was piled with dishes she had yet to do and she was already in her work uniform for her overnight job.

“You look pretty happy. Somethin’ good happen today? Where ya been?” She asked, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. Despite her rather young age, she was already starting to develop laugh lines around her eyes, which she managed to hide rather well with her short dark hair. 

“I went to the arcade with a friend after school,” Ryuji replied, shrugging. “It was pretty fun.” He tossed his spare token in the air and caught it, already deciding he’d never ever use it.

“A friend? This elusive Kurusu-kun I keep hearin’ about? Ann-chan? Shiho-chan?” She took a sip of her tea and turned the page on the paper.

“Nah, none of ‘em. Makoto Niijima. She’s the student council prez at our school. She’s been hangin’ out with us lately…” Ryuji replied, turning the token over and over in his hands. “And why’re ya reading the newspaper in the kitchen? We got a couch y’know. And a table right there…”

“I gotta do the dishes. Thought I’d kill two birds with one stone.”

“Yer so weird, Ma…”

“So this Niijima girl… Is she cute?”

“MA!!” Ryuji gasped, deciding that was enough of that and rushing into his bedroom. He could hear his mother chuckling from the kitchen, his whole face heating up with a blush. 

He was glad his mom had work tonight. He definitely needed some _alone time_ after the events that had transpired in the arcade today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to my proofreaders! Anyways, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter too! It's a little longer than the first chapter. But I'm really enjoying writing this in my free time! I'm aiming to post one chapter per month! So look forward to another chapter in a few weeks (hopefully)!!
> 
> Your comments and Kudos keep me going! <3


	3. What Are Friends For?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The investigation into the happenings in the red light district begins!

Regret was an understatement when describing how Ryuji felt the next morning. Guilt and embarrassment crept up his back to envelop his head as he made his way to school, running late as usual. It didn’t help either that he had no real friends in his class that he’d be able to vent to, as Akira and Ann were in the other second year class. He had to wait until lunch to talk to Akira.

“I was supposed to be having lunch with Ann, dude,” Akira mentioned, raising a brow as he watched his best friend pace back and forth between the vending machines in the courtyard.

“Dude, I feel like shit…” Ryuji complained, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Why…?”

“I just… She’s really hot! And she was right there and I was right up behind her n’ when I got home I just couldn’t help myself. I, well…” Ryuji rambled on, almost completely unaware Akira was there beside him.

“What an idiot… Hey, numbskull!” Morgana shouted from his perch on Akira’s shoulder.

“What do ya want, cat?!” Ryuji turned to glare at the not-cat.

“I’m not a cat!! And you’re not making any sense you dolt! Slow down and start from the beginning!” Morgana’s hair began to stand on end, his back arched and white-tipped tail sticking straight up in the air. Akira raised his hand to cover the not-cat’s mouth and stop an all out war from breaking out between the two.

“You’ve been rambling for the last ten minutes. You wanna tell me what this is all about, or am I just gonna have to leave you here to ramble all lunch period?” Akira asked, looking at the faux blond over the rim of his glasses.

“R-right.. haha… yeah… I just… I think I _like_ Makoto,” Ryuji blurted out, brown eyes pleading for his friend to understand. “y’know like… like how you _like_ Ann.”

Morgana snorted. Akira hushed him and smirked at Ryuji. “Finally,” He mused.

“What the hell do y’mean ‘finally?!’” Ryuji nearly shouted.

“Oh c’mon Ryuji. It’s been obvious since day one you’ve been crushing hard on her. You’ve had it bad for her since she got her Persona,” Akira explained, chuckling lightly at the blush forming upon his best friend’s face.

“I-Is it that obvious?” Brown eyes darted away from the wildcard to stare begrudgingly at the glow of the vending machines. 

“Well, kinda.”

“Shit.”

“Hey it’s not that bad. What are you so worried about?” Akira queried, seeking to help his friend.

“I…” Ryuji’s voice trailed off, muttering the rest of the sentence under his breath.

“Didn’t hear you, dude. Come again?”

“I… I got… aroused at the arcade with her last night… There, I said it. Make fun of me all y’want.” Ryuji’s face was a bright cherry red, his eyes glued to the vending machines.

Morgana snickered, but Akira covered his mouth again and shot him a warning look. “Did she see you or _feel_ you… getting aroused?”

“No. I dunno. Maybe. Whatever! I went home and I… well y’know. I did what all guys do when _that_ happens… And now, I just… feel guilty I s’pose.” A white sneaker kicked idly at the concrete, hands shoved into the pockets of his trousers.

“Because you were thinking about Makoto?”

“Yeah! Because I was thinkin’ about Makoto effin’ Niijima! Okay?! I’m a perverted creep, I get it. No need to rub it in…”

“Well at least he admitted it,” Morgana chipped in, causing Ryuji’s scowl to deepen.

“What’s the big deal?” Akira asked, ignoring the not-cat’s statement. “If you don’t tell her, she’ll never know and you won’t be considered a pervert to her…”

“What?” Ryuji’s face softer at the realization.

“Were you _planning_ on telling her that you thought about her while jerking off?”

“What? No! Never!”

“Then why are you so wound up about it?”

“Huh… I uh… I mean… I guess cause she’s really sweet and she’s prolly way outta my league. What’s a smart, hot, amazin’ girl like her gonna like about me, y’know? I ain’t got a chance in a million years with royalty like her!”

“And yet she hung out with you almost all day yesterday.” Akira waited a beat for that information to sink in.

Brown eyes widened, heart beat pounding as Ryuji Sakamoto realized that she had, in fact spent the entire day with him. And she didn’t even seem annoyed or disgusted by him at all. “Oh… A-And she wants me t’help her with an investigation she’s doin’. Somethin’ ‘bout catching students in Shinjinku? Oh man… Dude…”

Akira chuckled. “I gotta get back to class. Good luck, my friend.”

With a small wave, the black-haired wildcard turned on his heel and made his way back to class, leaving a very awestruck Ryuji behind. The regret and guilt from before was now replaced with a sense of hope - maybe he had a chance.

* * *

“Ah, Sakamoto-san!” Makoto called out, waving down the delinquent in the hall. She smiled softly when he almost walked into a wall as he turned to look at her, chuckling when he bashfully tried to play it off and leaned against the same wall in attempt to look suave and cool.

“H-hey! Makoto! Call me Ryuji, how many times do I gotta tell ya?” He rubbed the back of his neck and stepped closer to the student council president, a goofy grin peeling at his lips.

“I apologize. Still getting used to that I guess,” she replied. “I was hoping we could meet up on Saturday after school. I think it’s a good time to do our investigation because school lets out a little earlier… So we could get a head start!”

She was so damn cute. He had never noticed how pretty her eyes were. “Uh, yeah! Saturday works good for me!” He replied, beaming at her.

“Works _well_ for you,” She corrected. “And then it’s settled. I’ll meet you after classes on Saturday. I’ll probably be just outside the student council room, okay?”

“Right. Well. That’s the word I was lookin’ for… Thanks. I’ll see ya then, okay?”

“Okay! And Ryuji?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for helping me with this. It means the world to me~!”

With that, the Priestess turned around and headed off down the hall again. As she departed, she glanced over her shoulder with a grin and waved at him. “Thanks again! See you!” She called back to him.

Ryuji thought his heart was going to burst out of his chest. Even the two first year girls, standing not too far off, who were snickering and whispering about the school’s delinquent being seen with the doormat of a student council president, couldn’t bring Ryuji down right now. Maybe Akira was right. Maybe he had a chance.

* * *

Saturday’s classes went by way too slowly for both Makoto and Ryuji, but for very different reasons. Makoto was eager to start her investigation; she wanted to get to the bottom of this rumour and prove she cared more for the students of Shujin. Ryuji, on the other hand, was just excited to spend more time with Makoto. He’d been waiting for two whole days to get more time with her alone. Traversing Mementos with the rest of the gang, while fun, did not compare to having time one on one with Makoto.

When they were finally let out of classes, both rushed towards the student council room. Ryuji made it there first, and was left to stand and wait for her impatiently for a minute or two. His leg shook in anticipation and annoyance, hands shoved into his pockets and brows furrowed slightly.

“Did I keep you waiting?” She asked, showing up behind him. Makoto had a sly grin on her lips - her eyes narrowing at his shocked expression when he turned to look at her.

“Y-yeah… I mean no! Ya didn’t… I was uh… I just got here,” He replied, trying to laugh it off. His stomach flipped and he could feel his heartbeat in his ears.

“Good! Cause we’ve got a lot of work to do! I hope you’ve brought a change of clothes.” Her smile was one of determination. He couldn’t help but admire it.

“C-Clothes?” he asked, dumbfounded.

“We can’t wear our school uniforms in the red light district! People will know we’re minors and think we’re up to no good!”

“Oh shit, yer right… Damn it… I’m sorry, I totally didn’t think of that…”

“That’s okay. I brought a pair of my dad’s old jeans just in case. They might fit you,” Makoto said, digging through her school bag and pulling out a pair of old denim jeans. “Go into the student council room and change! Quickly, we don’t have all day.” She shoved the denim into his hands and pushed him into the room, sliding the door behind him.

A moment later he came out of the room, looking down at the rather… odd looking pants. “What the hell kinda style is this? Is yer dad from the 1900s?” He asked in a slightly teasing tone.

“My father didn’t wear that pair very often… He usually made the same complaint.” It was all she said before she pushed past him to change into her more casual wear. She seemed bitter. Ryuji wondered if he’d said something wrong. 

“Shit, uh…” Ryuji was about to apologize when the door slid shut in his face. “Never mind…”

He waited outside the student council room, hands shoved into the pockets of the high waisted jeans and leg shaking out of impatience. _Idiot_ , he thought to himself. _Ya messed it up already and ya ain’t even datin’ her. You stupid, pathetic, piece of shit idio-_

“I’m ready to go, Ryuji,” Makoto’s voice broke through his inner self-deprecating monologue. He looked over his shoulder to see her dressed rather smartly; a simple white tunic hung over her shoulders with a skinny black belt hanging loosely around her hips. Her shoes and leggings were the same as the ones she wore with her summer uniform; simple black leggings and flats.

“Uh…” Ryuji began.

“Okay! Let’s go!” She chimed, brushing past him again and heading straight for the stairs down to the main entrance.

“Right, yeah…” Ryuji muttered, forgetting all about his inner turmoil about having possibly offended her. He jogged to catch up with her and offered her a cheesy grin. 

* * *

The streets of Shinjinku were bustling with the colourful nightlife of Tokyo. Couples wandered the streets, drunkenly confessing their love to each other while burly men stood outside of dance clubs allowing those with proper IDs in, and well-dressed handsome men and gorgeous women stood outside the host and hostess clubs, waving down potential patrons and trying their hardest to pull them inside to share a drink with a cutie.

Makoto and Ryuji looked like a couple of teenagers pathetically trying their hardest to fit into the crowds.

“This was probably a bad idea, wasn’t it?” Makoto asked, looking at Ryuji with a worried expression.

“Nahh! C’mon… We just gotta make sure we blend in. Don’t want the police after our asses, right?” He beamed down at her in reassurance. He’d help her with this investigation if it was the last thing he ever did. “Here, gimme yer hand. If we look like we’re together, no one’ll ask questions.”

“T-together?” She repeated. But her hand was already slipping into his, head tilting in confusion.

“N-Not like that!! I ain’t gonna take you to a love hotel or… Wait never mind, just ignore I said that! Shit… sorry!! Y’know what I meant!” He protested, his face burning beet red.

Makoto laughed, lifting her free hand to cover her mouth as they slowly began to make their way through the streets. “I get it, Ryuji. Don’t worry, I know what you meant. We’re just friends.”

“Yeah…” A sigh of relief spilled from the faux blond’s mouth. “That’s what I meant… we’re just friends, but if it looks like we’re here together on a date or whatever it’ll make us look more mature, right?”

“Exactly.”

They stayed silent for a little while, hands linked together as they searched the streets and went into various shops and bars, asking if they’d seen any students wandering around. Most of the bartenders and shopkeepers simply shook their heads and shrugged, others had seen students from other schools hanging around, but none from Shujin. It felt like Ryuji and Makoto were on some wild goose chase, as if the rumours she’d heard were false. 

Eventually, they’d just about given up. Walking side by side, but not hand in hand, the two amateur investigators decided that the investigation should be called off. They’d been at it for a good hour or two and nothing of significance had come up. 

“Why hello there, beautiful,” A charming young man in his late 20’s greeted, taking Makoto by the hand and bowing to her. He pressed his lips to the back of her hand and smiled up at her, his teeth looked like veneers had been hastily applied to them. 

“Oh um…” Makoto began, unsure what to say or do, she glanced back at Ryuji. 

“Hey, what’s up dude?” Ryuji asked, raising a brow at the man.

“What’s a beautiful gal like you doing with the likes of him? Wouldn’t you like to spend some time with someone a little more handsome? Someone like myself? We have a special discount going on right now at the host club I work at,” The man continued, ignoring Ryuji to coo sweetly at Makoto. 

“E-Excuse me? I’m not interested!” Makoto tried to yank her hand away from the host.

“Yeah what’s that s’posta mean?!” Ryuji growled, brows furrowing. He took a step towards the host and sneered.

The host laughed airily at Ryuji’s reaction and started to walk away, pulling Makoto along with him. “Come darling, you’ll love us all. We’ll treat you like the princess you actually are~” 

“I said I wasn’t interested!!” Makoto shouted, still attempting to pull her hand out of the host’s vice-like grip. “Let go of me!!”

“Hey! Asshole! The lady told ya t’let go a her! Are you effin’ deaf or something?!” Ryuji shouted after them, immediately storming towards the host. He reached out and grasped the man by the shoulder, spinning him around to glare at him. “Let her go, ya dumbass.”

“Listen, blondie, I have a quota to reach with how many guests we bring in and I’m not about to get fired cau-“ The man started. But before he could finish, Ryuji threw his fist into the man’s face, knocking out one of his fake teeth.

Makoto gasped, pulling her hand up to her chest as the man bent over and groaned in pain, cupping his hands over his mouth. “Ryuji!!”

“Sorry… He wasn’t listening to ya, so it just seemed like the right thing t’do. Let’s get outta here before someone calls the police,” Ryuji explained, grabbing the brunette’s hand and leading her down an alleyway. Once they were far enough away, he stopped to catch his breath. 

Bent over, hands on his knees, and panting heavily, Ryuji couldn’t help the guilty feeling as it began to creep up the back of his neck once again. “Prolly shouldn’t have done that, huh?” He asked, looking up at Makoto. The Crossroads’ sign was lit up behind her, casting a soft pink glow to the air around them. He’d only been inside the bar once before with Akira, but did that really matter now when Makoto looked really pretty in this neon lighting?

Makoto wasn’t looking at him however, her gaze instead seemingly focused on something behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see a girl with dark hair wearing the Shujin uniform walking down the alley towards them. “I know her,” Makoto whispered. “She’s a third year, she was in my class last year… Eiko was her name, I believe. What’s she doing here?”

“Dunno… wait, y’think she’s the one the rumours goin’ round school are about?” Ryuji asked, standing up straight again and turning to look more closely at the girl. 

“Quick! She’s coming our way, come here!” Makoto hissed, pulling him by the arm and pressing her back up against the wall that lead towards the entrance to the Crossroads bar. Ryuji managed to catch himself before he crashed into her, hands pressed against the brick wall on either side of Makoto’s head. To anyone who may be looking at them now, the scene might look like a couple of lovers having an intimate moment. Ryuji gulped.

Makoto watched with hawk-like precision, stalking the girl as she passed by them. The Priestess then leaned out from their hiding spot, watching the girl walk into a shop with the sign “After School Salon” hanging above it. A frown formed on her face.

“After School Salon?” She murmured, lifting a hand to cup her chin in thought.

Ryuji followed her gaze, pushing away from the wall and poking his head out into the street to see what all the fuss was about. “Y’think she works there? What’s a salon, anyways?” He asked.

“I’m not exactly sure myself… C’mon! I got what we came for! We should get going before it gets dark out.”

“Wait, y’ain’t goin’ after her?”

“We haven’t finished the investigation yet. We’ll confront her at school and ask her just what is going on. If we do so now we might cause a bigger scene than we already have…” Makoto explained, setting off in the direction of the subway station.

“Oh… good idea… When’s that gonna be?” he asked, jogging to catch up again.

“Monday, will you join me in confronting her? You are my only witness after all.”

“Yeah, of course! Anythin’ ya need! Hey, lemme walk ya home tonight. My Ma would kill me if she found out I didn’t.”

“Oh. Really? Um… well it would be nice to have some company on the way home. But you really don’t have to. Thanks for helping me today, Ryuji,” Makoto replied, tucking her hair behind her ear again.

“For real? Sweet! And don’t sweat it! It’s no biggie! And I mean… that’s what friends are for, right? Helpin’ each other out? C’mon!” He raced off towards the station, tugging her along again.

“Okay! Okay! Slow down! Jeez!!” Makoto laughed, trying her best to keep up with the former track star.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you infinitely to my friends who've copy edited and proofread this for me!  
> Any comments, kudos, bookmarks, etc are greatly appreciated! 
> 
> Happy Holidays everyone!


	4. And So It Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unlikely friendship begins over a Buchimaru pencil case. And Ryuji gets mistaken for Makoto's boyfriend.

Ryuji didn’t feel comfortable sitting in the student council room. Usually he was the one sitting across from Makoto, getting chewed out for something he’d done to piss off the faculty, like refusing to re-dye his hair back to black. But today he was sitting beside Makoto, acting as her witness as she interviewed the girl they’d seen in the red light district. He shifted uncomfortably as the girl arrived and took her place across from them. He wasn’t used to being the one doing the chewing out.

“Yeah? You wanted to like, talk to me or something?” The girl, Eiko, asked. She had her hair tied up in a ponytail at the side of her head with a big pink ribbon and was chewing bubble gum, her uniform looking a little dishevelled as if she’d worn it all night. Makoto frowned, knowing that she had probably been chewing the gum in class when she had called her to the room. 

“We’d like to discuss something of concern involving you,” Makoto replied sternly. She kept a straight face as she folded her hands neatly across the table. Ryuji tensed up; he knew that tone of voice. That was the tone Makoto only used when she was disappointed in someone or there was something very serious to discuss. This was not going to end well considering how snooty and bored Eiko already looked.

“Yeah, so? Get on with it.” Eiko raised a brow at them, defiant in her tone.

“W-well,” Makoto began, not expecting to be talked back to like that. “Sakamoto and I happened to hear about some rumours going about that Shujin students were seen in Shinjuku…”

Makoto and Ryuji glanced at each other, while Eiko pulled out her phone and popped a bubble she had blown of her gum. She then proceeded to go about tapping out a text to her friends, appearing to completely ignore them.

Makoto shrugged and continued on, “And well, we happened to be walking through and-“

“Wait, you and _Sakamoto_? What on earth were you two doing there _together_?” Eiko asked, grinning slyly at them.

“It ain’t what ya think,” Ryuji butted in. 

“Mhm, sure,” Eiko replied, still smirking.

“We were investigating the rumours that students have been seen around the area and we saw you walk into a place called ‘After School Salon.’ We simply want to know what you were doing there!” Makoto quickly summed up, preventing an argument from breaking out between Eiko and Ryuji.

“Oh yeah, that’s my part time job. It’s just a dumb cafe where girls in school uniforms serve the food and such. It’s nothing bad,” Eiko explained, waving a hand flippantly at them.

“Oh… That’s… Wait, why d’ya need a part time job? Can’t ya get like a normal one ‘round here?” Ryuji asked.

“Well I don’t actually need one, my parents are both very well paid and I can like, basically ask for money anytime I want. But like, I dunno. I felt like earning my own cash, you know? Like, if I could have a little extra spending money that I earn by myself, I don’t have to, like, rely on my parents as much. You know?”

Makoto and Ryuji glanced at each other again before Makoto turned back towards Eiko and sighed softly. “I suppose I can’t argue with that logic. But why get a job in Shinjuku? Why not the convenience store in Shibuya? They’re always looking for help. Or the flower shop in the underground mall?”

“I didn’t feel like wearing a uniform other than the one I already use,” Eiko explained with a shrug, finally putting down her phone.

“Oh… Alright then,” Makoto pursed her lips and pulled out her pencil case. “Well since this matter has been settled, I suppose we’ll just have you sign a hall pass and let yo-“

“Is that a Buchimaru-kun pencil case?!” Eiko nearly jumped from her seat, spooking both Makoto and Ryuji. 

“Y-Yes?” Makoto replied nervously. “It’s a hand-me-down from my older sister.”

“I love Buchimaru-kun! I have a whole collection of merchandise in my room!” 

“You do?” Makoto’s voice was one of surprise, her eyes wide and a smile beginning to form on her lips.

“Mhm!! Let’s exchange contact info and I’ll send you a pic of all my stuff! I’ve been a fan since I was a little kid!”

“Me too! Uhm… Sure, let me add you…” Makoto pulled her phone out and the two girls exchanged information.

“Wow Ms. Prez! You totally aren’t so cold and robotic like everyone says! You’re like…. actually a teenager like the rest of us. And you’re dating the school’s resident delinquent. Totally badass,” Eiko said, leaning over to sign the hall pass.

“D-Dating?! N-No we’re not…”

“Oh c’mon! You two were alone together in Shinjuku? There’s only two reasons you could have been there together~” Eiko teased.

Ryuji’s face went bright red. The thought alone of being Makoto’s boyfriend was starting to make his pants get tight again. He quickly glanced away from both girls, hiding the blush forming on his face. 

“Ah… Wh-what are those two reasons…?” Makoto asked, genuinely curious.

“Well obviously couples go there to rent a love hotel room for an hour or two to have fun~” Eiko giggled, handing the pen back to Makoto and slipping the hall pass into her pocket. “The second reason is to get drunk at the bars and clubs, duh~!”

Makoto’s face was as bright as a cherry. “Y-You don’t say… Well I a-assure you we were not out there to get drunk or… visit a love hotel,” She explained, choking slightly on her words. Was it suddenly getting hotter in the room or was it just her? She tugged awkwardly at the collar of her uniform.

“Anyways, I should like, get back to class right? I don’t wanna like, get yelled at by Kawakami. Ugh, she’s such a nag, am I right? Bye Sakamoto-kun!! Bye Ms. Prez~!! I totally can’t believe how badass you are~!” Eiko laughed and waved at the pair before heading off to class again. 

Ryuji and Makoto sat in silence for a few minutes, processing just what the actual hell all that was. The faux blond shifted awkwardly in his seat and glanced over at Makoto, who seemed to have her eyes glued to the aforementioned Buchimaru-kun pencil case. Another beat of silence passed before he decided to open his mouth and say something.

“So… Buchimaru-kun, huh?”

“Shut up.”

“Sorry! Sorry! I just didn’t think of ya t’be the type.” He raised his hands up defensively. “Shoulda figured when ya wanted that Buchimaru plush in the arcade.”

“Don’t. Tell. Anyone.” Makoto’s eyes were ablaze as she gave him a sideways glance.

“Yer secret’s safe with me. Promise.”

There was another short pause. The silence between them thick enough to cut through thin air. Ryuji fidgeted with the hem of his uniform’s blazer, unsure of what to say next. Makoto’s gaze returned to her pencil case, brows knitting in worry and a hand coming up to cup her chin in thought. 

“R-Ryuji?” She asked, finally turning to look at him face to face.

“Y-yeah, Makoto?” His heart pounded. She was even cute when she looked worried.

“Is that how everyone thinks of me? That I’m… I’m just a robot? Meant to serve the faculty?” She was fighting back tears. She knew she wasn’t very popular, but she didn’t think it had gotten this bad. It hurt to hear Eiko say that about her.

Ryuji’s eyes widened and he panicked for a second. For a good long while he too had joined the rest of the school’s student body in thinking the student council president was nothing but a cold, emotionless lapdog to the faculty and principal. It wasn’t until he’d met Makoto and seen the passionate badass that she actually was that he had changed his opinion of her. He felt the guilty feeling creep back up his neck again.

“Y-Yeah but like… It’s like Eiko said, yer a real badass, Ms. Prez. And no one knows the real you like me and the other PT do… Yer totally not what everyone thinks ya are!” He blurted out quickly. He didn’t want to see her cry. It’d only make him feel bad. 

“She only thinks I’m a badass cause she thinks I’m _dating you_ , Ryuji,” She sighed softly.

“So? Who cares why she thinks yer cool? Yer awesome and a total badass even without a boyfriend. And even if no one else can see it, I can. Akira can, Ann and Yusuke too. Hell, even Morgana talks highly of you. And that stupid cat only talks nicely about Ann and Akira usually. Yer effin’ cool, okay? Stop puttin’ yerself down!”

Makoto’s eyes widened, her heart leaping in her chest and stomach starting to tie into knots. “You really think?” She asked.

Ryuji nodded sincerely.

“Well… I suppose. Thank you for cheering me up, Ryuji.”

“No problem, Makoto.”

“Well now that we’ve gotten the truth out of Eiko I suppose we’re done with our investigation…”

“Yeah,” Ryuji added, looking away a little sadly. He hoped this didn’t mean they’d stop hanging out one on one.

“Hey, you wanna hang out again sometime?” Makoto asked, as if she’d read his mind.

He beamed widely at her. “Sure thing! Whaddya wanna do?”

“Um, well I wouldn’t mind going to the bookstore after school. Ever since Johanna came to me, I’ve really wanted to get back into reading manga again,” Makoto shyly replied, smiling softly and looking down at her lap.

“Ya like manga?! Really?! Which ones d’ya like? I’ve been readin’ this old shonen one for a couple months now and I could totally lend ya a couple volumes if ya want!” Ryuji exclaimed, eyes gleaming with a new appreciation for the brunette.

“Oh. Um, I haven’t read any since middle school, but I do like shonen manga. Which ones would you recommend?”

“Too many! I should show ya my manga collection at home. It’s huge! I got a whole damn bookshelf full of volumes!!”

Makoto giggled and began to collect her things to go back to class. “Alright. You’ll have to show me sometime. But you’ve got a class to get back to and so do I. So let’s meet up after school, okay?”

Ryuji beamed happily, standing up and grabbing his school bag. “Sure thing, Queen. I’ll meet cha right here and we can head to the book store after school.”

Ryuji had never gone to class with a face-splitting grin on his lips before today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend, and if you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you have a great long weekend!! This chapter is a lot shorter than past chapters, but that's because its just setting up the main plot! Can you believe I managed to pump out two chapters in one month?! I'm on a roll here. 
> 
> Thank you again to my proofreaders and thank you to all who seem to be enjoying reading this! Here's my gift to you!


	5. The Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto and Ryuji make a deal and Ryuji learns something about his family he's not exactly keen about.

Ann bit down on her crepe; whipped cream and chocolate sauce oozing out the other side as she and Makoto slowly made it back to the condominium building she lived in. With her parents working overseas still, and a live-in housekeeper that didn’t get paid enough to be a parent to Ann, the Lovers had the freedom any teenager could only dream of. Makoto was almost envious of her.

“So as I was saying,” Ann continued through a mouthful of crepe. “Akira was thinking we should do a little group get together during the summer break. Like a camping trip or something.”

Makoto raised a brow, but her mind was elsewhere. Ann hit the button for the elevator up to her apartment. Silence fell between the Lovers and the Priestess as they waited. A moment or two passed, the lift’s doors opening with a familiar bell before they stepped inside.

“Hellooooo? Earth to Makoto! You there?” Ann asked as they ascended to her floor.

“Hm? Oh…” Makoto broke from her thoughts and looked over at the twin-tailed blonde. “No. I was just thinking of something.”

“Or maybe _someone_?” Ann teased, nudging the brunette in the side with her elbow.

“Wh-what? I… Well, actually now that you mention it, yes.”

“What! Really? Who?” Blue eyes gazed widely at Makoto.

“A friend. Eiko. She’s in class 3-B. She wears a pink ribbon in her hair all the time,” Makoto replied.

“Oh. Yeah, I’ve seen her around. She’s one of the girls that spoke about me behind my back during the whole Kamoshida incident…” There was the smallest hint of bitterness to Ann’s voice as she spoke. Makoto winced, still feeling guilty about all that.

“Yes well, we’ve only been friends for a week now… But that’s not what has been bothering me. She recently confided in me about wanting a boyfriend,” Makoto said, watching the elevator doors open and stepping out into the hallway after Ann.

“Yeah, so? She’s a teenager. All teen girls are a little boy crazy. Well, except the ones who like girls~” She winked and made her way down the hall to her door. Balancing her crepe in one hand, she dug around in her purse for her keys with the other.

“I’m not boy crazy…”

Ann gave Makoto a skeptical look over her shoulder. 

“I’m not!” Makoto protested. “I haven’t even had time to think about dating, let alone want to. My life’s so hectic already that dating would only complicate things even further!”

Ann unlocked the door and gestured for Makoto to go in first. “I know you’re not boy crazy. And it kind of worries me, to be honest.”

“What, why?”

“Cause you’re so much more mature than the rest of us. You don’t really take the time to relax and be a kid like we do.” The girls kicked off their shoes and headed further into the condo. Ann sat at the granite kitchen counter and finished her crepe slowly. The apartment was spotless, yet plain and simple in decor. It felt like no one even lived there - like it was a showroom display. “Take me and Akira for example.”

“Akira and me,” Makoto corrected.

“Yeah. Take us for example. You think I really wanted to date anyone after Kamoshida tried to blackmail me into it? No way in hell! I’d rather die than look at a boy for longer than ten seconds!”

Makoto sat down next to Ann and blinked. “That’s hard to believe considering how close you two are now.”

“Mhm, and that’s because Akira just… let me be a kid again. We didn’t care what people thought of us being together and we just… I dunno, we clicked. I wasn’t boy crazy until I met Akira. Then it was like… ‘whoa! I actually kind of like boys!’” Ann wiped cream and chocolate off her face.

“So what you’re saying is that I should start dating someone to not be so…”

“Robotic? Haha, yeah! Why not? It’s not like a date or two would kill you.”

Makoto shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest. An annoyed sigh left her as she stared begrudgingly at Ann. “I’m not interested. Besides, I have you and the others to help me in that regard. A boyfriend? What’s so special about having a boyfriend?”

Ann smirked, leaning back in her chair. She knew what was starting to bloom between Ryuji and Makoto, she just needed to give her friend a little push in the right direction. “Have you ever kissed someone? Not in like, a family way. Like seriously kissed someone?” She asked.

“N-No… Uh, not really… I pecked a girl on the cheek in middle school. But nothing like you see in those” —she was going to say crappy, but then remembered Ann loved romance films— “old romance films.” She dodged a bullet with that save.

“Trust me, it’s _fun_ to kiss someone. You’ll see. Now can you help me with my math homework? I’m failing badly.” Ann smiled apologetically as Makoto rolled her eyes at her and reached for her school bag.

* * *

Akira looked over his texts from Ann as he took a break from helping Sojiro around the cafe.

**[SMS To: Joker]**   
She said something about a girl named Eiko. Now she’s like Makoto’s best friend and they’re hanging out quite regularly. Should we be worried? What about Ryuji?

The rims of his glasses fell slowly down his nose as he re-read the text. Pushing them up with his finger, he rolled his shoulders and tapped out a quick reply to his girlfriend.

**[SMS To: Panther]**   
What? Makoto’s not allowed to have more than four friends? You’re getting all worked up over nothing. We’ve got them hanging out together, now we just have to leave it alone, let it run its own course. Eventually Ryuji’s feelings for her will come out in the open. And when they do, we just gotta hope Makoto likes him back. lol.

“You chatting with your girlfriend?” Sojiro asked, looking up from the coffee pot he’d been wiping down.

“Oh, yeah, actually,” Akira replied, standing up from his seat and shoving the phone back in his pocket. “Need any more help today, Boss?”

“Nah. You got homework, right? You better go do it.”

“Sure. Thanks, Boss.” 

With that, Akira headed upstairs to his attic bedroom.

* * *

Ryuji’s palms were sweaty as he dug around in his school bag, looking for the first volume of the manga he’d promised to lend to Makoto. He grew increasingly more frustrated with himself the longer it took for him to find it. “It’s gotta be in here somewhere! I swear I shoved it in here last night before bed!”

“It’s okay Ryuji,” Makoto replied, reaching over to pat his shoulder gently. “You don’t have to give it to me now.”

“But I promised ya!”

His hands moved through old gym clothes, crumpled papers, the odd pen, a pack of chewing gum, and an unused textbook before his fingers finally wrapped around the paperback manga volume. One quick yank later and the volume was free from its bagged prison. Ryuji let out a small victory grunt, beaming at Makoto before handing it to her.

The spine on the volume was cracked, as if it had been read a hundred times. The pages were furled, some were a little torn here and there, and they were starting to yellow with age. The cover, once laminated in a glossy finish, was dull and greying, yet the image of the protagonist smirked up at Makoto with a devilish gleam in his eye. She’d never seen a book so badly worn; she’d always taken extra care of her own books and manga volumes. But there was an oddly charming quality to the beaten-up manga in her hands now. 

“Yer gonna love it! It’s got a hell of a fight scene at the beginnin’ and the protagonist is a badass!! I’ve read that series at least seven or eight times since it came out!” Ryuji exclaimed. “It’s the first manga I bought back in middle school.”

“I can’t wait to start reading it, then,” Makoto replied, gently finding a place for the tome in her well-organized school bag, settling it between her math and history textbooks. Everything had its place; the books were neatly lined, the notes were pristine, her pencil case sat atop the spines of her books - her lunch even had its place. 

“For real? Aw man, that means the world t’me, Makoto!” Ryuji teased, nudging her with his elbow, trying to mask that there was some truth to his jovial tone.

“I wanted to ask you something,” Makoto mentioned, wanting to change the subject. “A couple of things actually… I received a text today from Eiko that worried me…”

“Another one?” He asked, scratching the back of his head. “Man, you girls are always makin’ each other worry n’ shit… No wonder you all are so dramatic sometimes.”

Makoto shot him a deadly look and Ryuji raised his hands in defence. He smiled cheekily at her, sneaking a quick glance at her in her summer uniform. Only two more weeks of school left before the summer holiday and maybe he’d get to hang out with her more often. Ryuji was certainly looking forward to that. Maybe he’d get to see her in more casual clothing.

“Yes, another one. Apparently in the day since her last text message about _wanting_ a boyfriend, she went and actually got one. She said she was envious of… of _our_ relationship and met a guy at work…”

Ryuji blushed and looked away, rubbing the back of his neck again and focusing on a nearby vending machine in the school’s courtyard. “Y-Yeah well you tell her we ain’t datin’ again? That chick’s head is thicker than mine I think…”

“I’m worried because her boyfriend is an older man. A host, actually. She met him on her way home from work one evening. Hosts are sleazy people, Ryuji. My father told me about their scams to get money off young naive girls…” Makoto continued, practically ignoring his question. She stared determinedly at her phone, pulling up the texts from Eiko.

“Yeah, I think I heard all about that,” He replied, peeking down at the texts. “But I heard that’s an old stereotype. Hosts these days ain’t like that. They’re sleazy as shit still, but they don’t scam people anymore…”

“I’m still worried. She’s moved into this relationship a little too quickly, don’t you think?” Makoto asked, her brows raising as she stared up at Ryuji. “And he’s quite a bit older than her… To be a host you have to be legal drinking age, so he has to be at least 20 years old. Maybe he’s even older, who knows!”

Ryuji opened his mouth as if to say something, but decided he didn’t want to talk about it. He clenched his fist against his leg and bit his lip instead, itching to mention the age gap between his mother and the abusive man who just happened to be his father. “That’s not right… It’s bullshit, is what it is,” He said instead.

“She wants me to meet him tomorrow at the diner in Shibuya. I’m… I’m not sure I’d be able to do it alone though.” The Priestess sighed softly, worry etched into every line of her face. She turned to face Ryuji straight on, a hopeful gleam in her eye. “So, I was hoping… that you could play the part of my boyfriend? I think I would feel more comfortable with a friend tagging along and since Eiko already thinks we’re dating…” Her voice trailed off.

Ryuji felt his heart leap out of his chest. “Oh uh… yeah, sure. I’ll keep helpin’ ya.”

“Oh good! Thank you! I’m so relieved!” Makoto exclaimed, hooking her arms around the Chariot’s neck in a short hug. He burned bright red but tried his best to play it cool when she pulled away.

“S’no problem. So uhh, you said ya had more than one question for me?”

Now it was Makoto’s turn to blush immensely. “Oh uh… N-Never mind. I was just curious how your studies were going?” That was the opposite of the question she wanted to ask.

“Uh.. just as shit as ever I guess? Why?”

“Oh well um… I could help! I thought i-it’s the least I could do since y-you’ve been helping me so much lately,” Makoto replied in a stammer.

“For real? You’d help me out? Aw man it’s one hell of a day! It just keeps gettin’ better and better! Thanks, Makoto!”

A warm flutter in her chest at his words made Makoto smile and relax again. “Sure thing. You help me with Eiko, I’ll help you pass your classes. It’s a deal?” She held out her hand for him to shake.

“Best deal I ever made,” Ryuji replied, shaking her hand.

* * *

“So let me get this straight,” Akira said, leaning forward and crossing his arms on the counter of the ramen shop he and Ryuji frequented after their work outs.

“Makoto’s friend is dating a host, and so you’re posing as Makoto’s boyfriend to help spy on them?” Akira asked, keeping his voice low. 

“It ain’t exactly spyin’ on ‘em. We’re just… makin’ sure this guy ain’t a sleazy asshole, y’know?” Ryuji replied, finishing off his second bowl. 

“And Makoto is okay with having you as a boyfriend?” Akira teased.

“Hey! What’s that s’posed t’mean?!”

Akira laughed loudly, patting Ryuji on the back. “Nothing! Nothing! I was just teasing, that’s all!”

“Damn it Akira, yer an ass sometimes…”

“Hey, I think it’s great you two are getting along so well.”

“Shuddup.”

* * *

“Yer home,” his mother said, sounding surprised as she poked her head out from the kitchen to greet him. “Just finished makin’ some dinner, ya hungry?”

“No Ma, I ate with Akira after school.” Ryuji kicked off his shoes and headed straight for his bedroom.

“Oh. Then I’ll pack up the left overs n’ you can bring ‘em for lunch the next few days,” She replied, returning to her work in the kitchen.

Ryuji paused in front of his bedroom door. The thoughts that had been running through his head since making the deal with Makoto that afternoon were overwhelming. But if one person could give him advice, his mother could. She’d raised him single-handedly since she had him at the age of nineteen. And his asshole of a father had treated her so poorly —abused her so terribly— that Ryuji was surprised she could still smile after all those years. 

“Ma?” He called to her.

“Yeah, Ryu-kun?”

“I got a question…” He slowly made his way back to the kitchen.

Dark brown eyes peered over her shoulder at him, warm and welcoming. “Ask away, kiddo,” She said.

“How did you know you were in love with dad? Like… Why didn’t you see he was a total asshole until it was too late?” He had not anger in his tone, just curiosity. He knew the reason why she stayed so long was because she feared she couldn’t provide for Ryuji on her own. But he wanted to know why she fell for such a despicable person in the first place.

“I was young n’ stupid. I thought I knew everythin’ and no one could stop me from gettin’ what I wanted. And yer father promised that t’me. He promised t’get me everythin’ I wanted n’ more. He was charmin’ n’ charismatic n’ he knew how to manipulate me into fallin’ into his trap. I didn’t see the bad parts of him, I saw my happily ever after. I guess I was so young n’ naive that I was blind to who he truly was.” She shrugged. She’d always been so thick skinned, so tough - Ryuji admired that about his mother.

“I know he worked in a factory after y’had me but… what did he do before that? He was always complainin’ about havin’ to settle down and get a normal job cause of me…” Ryuji felt his gut wrenching, he wasn’t even sure he wanted to know the answer.

“He was a host at a host club.” Ryuji’s blood ran cold as his mother spoke. “Met him when I was 16. Me n’ a bunch of my friends from high school went out one night to the red light district for a friend’s birthday. We tried to sneak into clubs n’ that sort of stuff. I decided t’head home early when I bumped into him havin’ a smoke outside the club he worked at. I asked him for a cigarette. He asked for my number and well, he was good lookin’ and he was payin’ attention t’me. So I took the bait. If I knew what a manipulative, abusive bastard he was back then I’d never have fallen for his charms.” She paused what she was doing and stared down at the pot of rice she was portioning off into leftovers. “Why do y’ask? You’ve never been curious about yer dad before…” His mother turned away from the containers she’d been filling with leftovers to give him a worried look.

“Yeah,” Ryuji breathed heavily and clenched his fist. Anger seeped through him. He headed back to his room. “And now I know why.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh! Thank you to my wife Kin and my friend Art for beta-ing this for me! Your comments and edits were hella helpful and fun to read! And thanks to those who are reading this and enjoying it so far!
> 
> Happy 2018! I apologize for this months chapter being a little late, my birthday was on the 8th of January and I had a friend visiting from the states so I wasn't able to write or edit or post this until now. Please enjoy!!


	6. Double Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryuji and Makoto meet Eiko's boyfriend and come up with a plan to investigate him further.

Makoto stared at the framed poster of James Dean hanging on the wood panelled walls of the diner on Central Street. The whole restaurant was a gathering spot for students looking for a quiet place to study or businessmen wanting an American inspired lunch and a place to forget work for an hour. The decor was tacky and outdated, reminiscent of old Americana; which to Makoto felt so out of place amongst the modern skyscrapers and clean lines of Shibuya. 

The Priestess glanced down at the paper menu in her hands, trying not to look at the rather flashy host sitting across from her. He looked completely out of place here with his bright white suit and flashy silk button up. His hair was dyed auburn but the bleaching must have gone wrong cause it looked more orange in the warm lighting of the diner. He was flashing a lopsided grin at her from across the table, mimicking James Dean’s alluring smirk (only he looked a little more creepy than the late movie star). 

“So is, like, your boyfriend showing up or not?” Eiko asked, scrolling through her phone. She was sitting beside the host, looking bored out of her mind and leaning against the table. 

“H-He should be here soon…” Makoto replied, peering over the menu to take a quick peek at the entrance. “C’mon Ryuji, don’t leave me hanging like this,” she muttered under her breath.

It was as if he’d read her damn mind, because not a minute later, the Chariot had stepped through the door, panting from having run up the stairs, and was glancing around for them. Makoto stood and waved, a relieved look crossing her features. Ryuji saw her, beamed happily, and bounded toward their table.

“Sorry I’m late,” He greeted, sliding into the booth beside Makoto. He leaned in a little, as if going in to kiss her on the cheek, but decided against it. He was only playing the part of boyfriend, he wasn’t her actual boyfriend.

Eiko giggled, “God, Sakamoto-san, what took you so long?”

“Uh, busy trains. Delays n’ bullshit. Y’know,” He replied, looking over at the man sitting beside her. Already Ryuji felt like throwing his fist into his smug grin. 

“W-Well, now that we’re all here, I suppose we could introduce ourselves? I’m Makoto Niijima and this is my b-boyfriend, Ryuji Sakamoto,” Makoto said nervously. She gestured towards the faux blonde as she spoke, an unsure grin on her lips.

“Tsukasa, and you already know my princess~” The host replied, wrapping an arm around Eiko. She giggled again, looking up at him with a lovestruck expression. It was the kind of gaze fans would give their idol; superficial and unrealistic.

“Isn’t he amazing~?” Eiko asked as the waitress came around to take their order. 

Ryuji clenched his fists against his thighs under the table and grit his teeth. Already he could tell this guy was a scumbag. Something about his demeanour - all cocky and suave - reminded him way too much of the vague memories he had of a father that had ran off years ago. “Tsukasa, right?” 

“Yeah.”  
“Nice t’meet cha,” Ryuji offered through clenched teeth.

Makoto noticed the growing tension and gently placed a hand on Ryuji’s shoulder. To her surprise he seemed to relax immediately, as if her presence alone calmed whatever negative emotion was brewing inside him. She made an effort to rub gentle circles along his shoulder blade, hopefully convincing Eiko.

“It’s good to meet you both, too,” Tsukasa replied, grinning again. “I heard a lot about you, Makoto-chan~”

“Makoto-chan?! Who gave you the right to call her that?” Ryuji shot back.

“Ah, it’s okay!” Makoto protested. “Eiko calls me that all the time, he probably just got it from her!”

Eiko laughed and waved Ryuji off. “Gosh you’re so protective of her Sakamoto-san!! You must really love her!” She commented, scrolling through her phone again. Ryuji’s ears went red, but Makoto didn’t notice.

“So… Um, Tsukasa-san,” Makoto began, collecting her thoughts. “How did you and Eiko meet?”

“At work,” He replied.

“I already told you that, Makoto-chan,” Eiko added. “Oh, I’m gonna go use the washroom! I’ll be back in a bit!” With that, the other girl stood and made her way to the washroom, leaving Makoto and Ryuji alone with the host.

A minute or two passed in complete and awkward silence. Makoto tapped her fingernails on the wood surface of the table, desperately hoping the waitress would come back with their order soon. Anything to distract from the fact that Tsukasa seemed to be leering at her, a wide devilish smirk on his face.

“Makoto-chaaaaan~” He sang, leaning forward across the table. “What made you get with this guy anyways? He doesn’t seem like the type to woo a smart, pretty girl like you.”

“Hey! What’s that supposed t’mean?!” Ryuji butted in, clearly insulted.

“Y-Yeah… I… What _do_ you mean by that?” Makoto asked, trying to play along.

“I mean… you two aren’t really dating, are you? I mean c’mon, you didn’t even kiss her when you got here. What kind of boyfriend doesn’t kiss their girlfriend?” Tsukasa’s tone was mocking.

“We’re just… We’re…” Makoto stumbled, trying to come up with an answer. She looked at Ryuji, as if trying to telepathically communicate with him to come up with an answer.

“We just started datin’ a week or two ago… We ain’t used to all this… affection n’ shit yet. We ain’t like you n’ Eiko,” Ryuji finished, he looked away from the other two, gazing over at the gaudy Americana decor with a rather disgruntled expression.

Makoto sighed in relief, thankful for Ryuji’s quick response. And Tsukasa seemed to be convinced, leaning back and pulling out his phone and starting to scroll through his contacts. “So Makoto-chan, we’re friends now, right? Gimme your number!”

“Huh?”

“What d’ya need her number for?” Ryuji asked, turning back to glare at the host.

“What? I just figured since she’s friends with my girl, she’s friends with me too. There’s no malice behind that, is there?” Tsukasa asked. There was a devilish grin on the host’s face.

“Ya can have mine instead,” Ryuji shot back, raising a brow at him.

Makoto opened her mouth to refute, turning to look at Ryuji with her brows furrowed. She couldn’t get a word out before the faux blonde hooked an arm around her, pulling her close. She could smell his shampoo, slightly musky and vanilla-y. Makoto blushed immensely, eyes widening as she glanced between Tsukasa and Ryuji.

The host sneered, rolling his eyes before turning his attention back to the phone in his hand. “That’s fine. Didn’t think you were that over-protective of your girl, considering you two aren’t even that close. But I’ll just get her number from Eiko,” he said.

The Priestess and Chariot glanced at each other like they’d been caught red-handed robbing a bank. Was it that obvious they were faking it? Could Eiko tell?

“Why do you guys look like you’ve seen like… a ghost or something?” Eiko asked, having returned from her trip to the bathroom. She tilted her head to the side and slid back in beside Tsukasa.

“Don’t worry about it, babe,” Tsukasa replied. “The lovebirds over there just got a little carried away with their flirting. Forgot I was still here.”

“Haha, no way! You two are sooooo cute~! I still can’t believe you’re dating the school delinquent, Makoto-chan!”

Makoto pulled away from Ryuji, smiling nervously and rubbing the back of her neck. “W-Well, y’know… We’re pretty new to this still. We’d like to keep it a secret from the rest of the school.”

“Oh don’t worry!! I’ll keep it a total secret~!!” Eiko chimed happily. “Pinky promise!!” She leaned across the table and held out her pinky. Makoto stared at the outstretched digit before wrapping her own pinky finger around Eiko’s. 

* * *

“Lemme walk ya home,” Ryuji said as he and Makoto left the diner. The date had been pretty okay for the most part, but there was an air of suspicion still lingering around Tsukasa that did not sit well with either Ryuji or Makoto.

“You really don’t have to,” Makoto insisted before her phone beeped in her pocket. She pulled it out and glanced at it. “Uh… I think it’s from Tsukasa…”

“For real? How’d he get yer number so quickly? What’s it say?”

“Probably from Eiko… It says… Well I can’t really….” Makoto gave up with a small frustrated huff, turning her phone to show him the text instead. 

The text read: _Haii Makoto-chaaaan~ <3 Its Tsukasa!!1!! ;P Let’s b friendzz kk?? ttyl <33 ;P_

“Ugh,” Ryuji groaned and started off toward the subway station. 

Makoto was quick to fall into step beside him, ignoring the text and shoving her phone back into her pocket. “‘Ugh’ is right… There’s just something so _off_ about him… But I don’t want to make any judgements just yet.”

“I do. He’s an effin’ creep. He’s gotta be like 24, maybe 25 years old. And he’s datin’ a 17 year old? That’s red flag number one in my book. And then he’s so smug n’ thinks he’s all that. I’d keep an eye on him,” Ryuji rambled, bitterness in his tone.

“You seem really passionate about this, Ryuji,” Makoto leaned forward to look him in the eye as they stood on the escalator going down into Shibuya station. He felt his cheeks heat up and turned away, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Yeah well… somethin’ bout this situation hits a little close t’home for me,” He explained, swiping his metro card to pay his fare at the gate.

“Oh…” Makoto wondered if he’d explain any further, but when he didn’t she decided it was best not to pry. She stood awkwardly on the platform as they waited for the train, shifting her weight from one foot to the other as silence hung between them.

After a moment or two the train arrived, tossing their hair and Makoto’s skirt around with the wind. They got on and found two seats open for the taking, settling in as the doors closed and the train shot off again. Another moment passed in awkward silence between them, both avoiding each other’s gaze. Ryuji seemed miffed, his brows furrowed and back slouching more than usual.

“Thank you,” Makoto said, breaking the silence. “For helping me again. When do you want me to help you study?”

“Huh? Oh uh… whenever y’want. I dunno…” He turned back to offer a small grin, as if the awkwardness of the situation before had melted away and everything was back to normal.

“How about every Friday after school? I don’t usually have anything planned then,” Makoto suggested. 

“Sure, sounds good t’me,” Ryuji replied, smiling wider now. He leaned a little closer to her. Not wanting to cross any boundaries though, he made sure to keep a little space between them.

“And you’ll keep helping me with Eiko then, yes?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Good… Because something Tsukasa said had me a little worried.”

“Y’mean when he said we weren’t very close? Yeah… That bugged me too.” Ryuji looked down into his lap and sighed. “There’s only one thing we gotta do in that case.”

“And what’s that?” Makoto asked over the announcement that the next stop was hers.

Ryuji stood up and stretched, groaning softly as he did so. “Well, we gotta convince him otherwise. We gotta really act like we’re datin’.”

Makoto blushed and nodded slowly. “That… That makes sense… But I’m not sure we can do that. R-real couples… kiss and flirt and… and…”

The train came to a stop, doors opening with the familiar chime. Ryuji smirked down at her, a gleam in his eyes as he offered his hand to her. Makoto took it, let him lead her out onto the platform. “Then we gotta practice bein’ a couple. That’s all.”

“Practice?!” Makoto gasped, furrowing her brows.

“What?! It’ll be like… I dunno. Aikido practice but for datin’. It’s not like we’re actually datin’. We’re just practicin’ for when we do find someone we wanna date. It’s like a friends with benefits thing,” Ryuji suggested, shrugging. He braced himself to get hit, knowing she’d probably hate the idea.

“Benefits? Doesn’t that mean…”

“No, no! Not like that! If ya don’t wanna do that sorta thing then we won’t! Promise!” Ryuji exclaimed, eyes widening and ears going pink. “We’ll do things at your speed. And you don’t have to do anythin’ ya don’t wanna, okay?”

“Well… It would make us more convincing if we had some e-experience…” Makoto said nervously. She started towards the exit of the station. “O-Okay… I’ll take you up on the offer then.”

“For real?!”

Makoto chuckled and nodded, looking over her shoulder at him. “Well, only for as long as I’m helping you study and you’re helping me with Eiko. It makes perfect sense that we look as convincing as possible to her and her boyfriend.”

Ryuji caught up to her, hooking his arm around her waist and pulling her close, causing a small gasp to escape the brunette. “Then let’s start practicin’ right now. This is how couples walk together all the time, right?”

“W-Well, yes…”

“What’s the matter? Too shy?” He teased.

“Shut up, Ryuji,” Makoto said, pouting.

They walked the two blocks to Makoto’s condominium complex, laughing and joking the whole way. The evening air was cool against their skin, uncharacteristic for the early summer weather. But they didn’t seem to mind, already cozying up to one another as if they’d done it a million times before. Their heart rates raced in their chests as they approached the complex, thoughts swirling in their heads as they stopped in front of the glass doors.

“Here we are,” Makoto mused, rocking on the balls of her feet. “Thanks, you really didn’t have to walk me home again.”

“My ma woulda killed me if she found out I didn’t. Besides, it’s what a boyfriend would do, right?” 

“R-right… well, see you tomorrow Ryuji,” Makoto said, turning towards the doors.

“Wait!” Ryuji grasped her wrist, making her turn to face him again. He leaned in and pecked her softly, lips brushing against hers for the briefest of moments before he pulled away. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. “Just practicin’.”

Makoto’s face burned bright red and she nodded silently. A delicate hand reached up to gently prod at where his lips had just been. It was her first kiss, and her head was now swirling with a euphoric feeling. She felt weightless, like she would float away at any moment and find herself amongst the clouds above them. She blinked slowly, processing the action in her head again. 

“Y-Yeah… Goodnight, Ryuji.”

“Night, Makoto.”

They stared at each other for a minute or two before Makoto turned and entered the building in complete silence. Ryuji watched her, his ears tinged with pink still and his heart fluttering wildly in his chest. He waited until she was completely out of sight before he turned around and sprinted all the way home, the biggest grin ever on his face.

* * *

Makoto found herself alone when she finally made it back to her sister’s apartment. The older Niijima sister had left a note near the door saying she’d be spending the night at the office again. A small sigh left Makoto through her nose as she tossed off her shoes and made her way further into the apartment. It wasn’t really a surprise to find the apartment empty these days, and Makoto was frankly starting to get used to it.

She headed straight for the bathroom, stripping out of the clothes she wore that day and filling the tub. After showering quickly, she stepped into the tub to soak for an hour. Makoto sunk into the hot water, letting it envelope her body in its warmth. Her mind was still afloat, trying her best to wrap her head around what had just happened between herself and Ryuji.

In the quiet solitude of the bathroom - only the drip drip drip drip of the leaky faucet providing a soundtrack to her thoughts, Makoto sank lower into the water, her face flushed pink as she replayed the kiss from earlier over and over in her head. But as the minutes grew longer and the wrinkles began to form on her fingers and toes, she found her mind wandering into other scenarios…

She licked her lips, tasting him still lingering there, and she wondered how he’d taste with her tongue against his. She imagined the sparse romantic scenes she’d seen in her favourite movies. Only instead of celebrities playing the parts, Makoto played the heroine in each and Ryuji, the hero. She remembered a movie she’d seen recently of a feudal samurai who’d gone off to war for ten years and when he returned his wife was still waiting for him; the kiss they’d shared was passionate, full of love and devotion. Makoto imagined Ryuji kissing her like that and felt the bathwater rise to her nose as she sunk further down. 

_I shouldn’t be thinking of him like that_ , she thought to herself. _He’s only a friend. What we agreed upon today… it’s simply a means to an end._

Still, she found her hand slipping between her thighs, fingers gently caressing the sensitive folds of her womanhood as the thought of Ryuji crossed her mind once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww yes, happy belated Valentine's day! I've been quite busy with school and now I have two part time jobs so I've been loaded with work too. Anyways, here's a sweet treat for you! Again, thank you to Kin - my lovely wife - for editing this for me and thank you for reading!! Please enjoy!


	7. Practice Makes Perfect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryuji and Makoto begin their "dating practice."

Friday afternoons were often saved for visits to the pay-per-visit gym in Shibuya with Akira or helping his mother with the housework, since she usually had night shifts on the weekends and couldn’t finish the chores all on her own. Instead Ryuji was staring at his rarely opened textbooks; splayed across one of the tables in the school’s library and trying his best to comprehend the jumble of jibberish that made up the English language.

“This is kinda useless, Makoto,” He muttered, giving her a pleading look.

“How so?” She asked, peering over her own English text book.

“Aren’t exams startin’ like next week or somethin’?”

“Yes, so?”

“It’s kinda late t’start studyin’ for ‘em now don’t cha think? There’s no way I’m passin’ this round of exams…”

“That’s probably true.” She giggled at the furrow of his brows and the pout he made. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t help you start studying for the next round of exams in the fall.”

“Y’mean we gotta study _every_ Friday?!” Ryuji exclaimed, causing the librarian to shush him.

Makoto gave him a wide eyed look of confusion. “Isn’t that the deal we settled on? I’d help you study on Friday afternoons, and you’d help with… well, you know… Eiko.”

Ryuji opened his mouth to protest, but quickly shut it again when he remembered he had agreed to that. He scratched his head and sighed, nodding. “Yeah, yeah. It’s just that we’ve been here for so long already. And I don’t think I’m gettin’ anythin’ outta this… English still confuses the shit outta me.”

“You’re doing a little better! Look at this exercise you did in your workbook,” Makoto replied, pointing out the worksheet he’d just completed. “You got all the pronouns right in this sentence. And you managed to locate the verbs in this sentence! That’s great progress, Ryuji.”

His heart swelled at her words, ears turning pink as she pointed out all the things he’d gotten right. Ryuji used to be decent in school - not really something to write home about, but he passed, and that’s all that really mattered to his mother and him. But then he got his leg broken and everything went down the drain, he had no focus anymore. He just didn’t care. So to hear Makoto praising him for actually paying attention to her and getting things right for once, he couldn’t help but feel a little proud. He smiled widely at Makoto.

“Granted,” she continued. “We’ll have to work on your oral pronunciation of words, but we’ll save that for later.”

“What d’ya mean?”

“You said _prolly_ when reading this sentence aloud when you should have pronounced it like this: _prob-a-bly_ ,” Makoto corrected.

“ _Probably_ ,” Ryuji repeated, finding the foreign word strange in his mouth.

“Yeah! Like that!!” She replied in a gleeful whisper. 

“Sweet. Can we go get something t’eat now though? I’m starvin’ and I need t’stretch my legs,” Ryuji asked.

“Okay, I think we made enough progress for today,” Makoto said, collecting her books. “Where do you want to eat?”

“Beef bowls!” Ryuji said excitedly, earning him another warning shush from the librarian.

* * *

“I don’t really like beef,” Makoto confessed, poking around the bowl of rice and meat with her chopsticks. “But this is thin enough that I don’t mind it. It’s not chewy like other beef I’ve had.” A health nut, her sister had called her on occasion, Makoto’s palette consisted of more healthier options. Junk food was a rarity she seemed to only share with Ryuji these days.

“Yeah? What’s yer favourite then? Salad or somthin’ right?” Ryuji asked between mouthfuls of rice and beef.

“No… I think my favourite dish is actually my mother’s recipe for Okayu. She used to put egg and green onion in it, with a dash of garlic,” She confessed, looking down and tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Rice porridge is yer favourite? Really? That’s cool. Can’t complain about comfort food. My ma makes one hell of an Oden hot pot come winter-time,” Ryuji replied, shovelling the last of his bowl into his mouth. “Do ya make it a lot? The Okayu, that is.”

“I’ve tried many times,” Makoto explained, “But I can’t seem to get it to taste right. It never really turns out the same way my mother would make it…” She looked a little somber as she poked at her food. Her appetite had diminished a little. 

Ryuji didn’t know what to say. He knew what it felt like to not have a father, but his mother was the most important person in his life. He needed to say something though, less he look like a total asshole. “Yeah? That sucks… Man, I dunno what I’d do without my Ma.”

“You learn to manage,” Makoto replied. 

“If ya don’t mind me askin’, when did she die? And uh, how?” Ryuji asked, curious.

“I was about five or six,” Makoto replied. “Leukaemia. They caught it too late, and it had already spread to her brain. There was nothing they could do…”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine. It’s been years since it happened.”

They finished their meals in silence, paying their bills and heading out onto Central Street. Breathing in, Ryuji stretched his arms over his head and decided to lighten the mood a little. He nudged Makoto and gestured to the arcade, starting off towards it. She followed closely.

They climbed the staircase up to the arcade without a word between them. The bustle of Shibuya morphing into the electric playground of lights and sound. At the top of the stairs, Ryuji slipped his hand into Makoto’s.

“Practice,” He whispered in response to her look of surprise. But he couldn’t help the feeling that he was also reminding himself as well.

Makoto seemed to settle into his grasp after that. She even leaned against his shoulder, much like a real girlfriend would, as they bought some tokens and picked a few games to play. Both would never know that the others’ heart was fluttering at a mile a minute.

After a few rounds of Gun About (in which Makoto scored considerably better than her first time playing) and a few other games, they decided it was time to call it quits for the day. The pair made their way through the thinning after-school crowd and down to the streets of Shibuya again. 

“I got an idea, Makoto,” Ryuji said as they walked, hand-in-hand, to the subway.

“Oh?” She sounded intrigued.

“It’s not that late, is it?”

Makoto looked down at her phone, checking the time. “No. It’s only seven, why?”

“My Ma’s on night shift at one of her jobs. So I got the apartment all t’myself. We could head there and maybe study a little more?” He suggested, shrugging. “Maybe I’ll study better in the comfort of my own place, y’know?”

“I highly doubt that,” Makoto teased, seeing right through him.

“Okay, okay. I wanna show you my game consoles n’ my manga n’ shit.”

“Now?” She asked, tilting her head as they swiped their metro passes and got onto the platform.

“Yeah, why not? It’s not late!”

“Oh, alright. But I should be home before 10pm.”

“Fine by me!”

* * *

Makoto leaned against Ryuji on the train to his apartment. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer when she did. All in the name of practice of course. The train stopped suddenly, making Makoto crash into Ryuji. They held each other for a little longer than they should have, before heading out into the streets of Ryuji’s neighbourhood.

“Here we are!” Ryuji stated, climbing up the short set of stairs to the second level of the small apartment complex. His leg was starting to hurt, the titanium femur causing him to limp a little more than usual. He was glad they were finally back. He’d be able to sit and rest it for a moment or two.

“It’s so pleasant around here,” Makoto commented, looking around at the scenery as she followed him up the steps. 

“Yeah? Ma wanted to get outta the neighbourhood we used t’live in when my uh… my dad was still around. And well, it’s closer to the school n’ all,” Ryuji explained, unlocking the apartment door.

“Then why are you always late still?”

“Shuddup, Makoto.”

Makoto smirked, putting her hands on her hips. “Got you~”

The corner of Ryuji’s lips pulled up into his familiar grin. “Is that a joke, Makoto? Serious class Prez Niijima made a joke? Impossible!”

“I have a sense of humour!” Makoto protested. “It’s just… a more sophisticated sense of humour.”

“Like a mascot character type of sophisticated?”

“Oh shut up!”

Ryuji broke out in laughter, swinging the door open and letting her in. Once they’d taken off their shoes, they made their way further into the apartment. He led her to his bedroom, pulling her by the hand and ready to show off his collection of manga and video games he had accumulated over the years. He was still giggling when they entered the room.

Makoto looked around, taking in all the little details that made this room uniquely Ryuji’s. A few dirty clothes were strewn about the floor, to be picked up at a later date. He had posters of various anime shows and video games he liked, along with a couple of pin-up models pinned to the wall near his bed. On his bed, he had a mess of blankets and pillows, and it looked as though he’d never attempted to make his bed in his entire life. A few medals and trophies were opposite his bed, remnants from his time on the track team, along with a bookshelf with a small TV on it.

“Sorry, forgot I gotta clean up,” Ryuji confessed. “Hope it ain’t too messy for ya.”

“It’s fine,” Makoto replied, stepping a little further into the room. “It’s not that bad.” Though she itched to pick up his dirty laundry and put it in the hamper near his closet, she refrained. 

“Ya can sit down anywhere ya want, y’know,” Ryuji suggested, flopping down onto his bed. He already had a controller in his hands, the cable leading from it connected to a small grey console on the floor by the bookshelf with the TV on it. He smiled at her dopily, patting the spot beside him as if to silently suggest she sit next to him, despite what he’d just said about sitting anywhere she wanted.

Makoto took another glance around the room before gently sitting down next to him. She watched as he reached for the TV’s remote control on his side table, turning it on before he got up to turn the console on as well. The screen lit up, a logo appearing before a short jingle played and a game menu replaced it. Ryuji sat back down on his bed with a content sigh.

“Sorry I don’t gotta second controller. I’m usually the only one playin’ after all,” Ryuji added, using the controller to flick through the options on the menu. “This game’s great though. I think you’ll like it.”

“Oh? What’s it about?”

“I dunno, it just seems like yer kinda thing. It’s a shooter like Gun About, but like, y’gotta actual story to follow instead of just shootin’ at anythin’ that shows up on the screen,” He explained with a shrug of his shoulders.

She watched as he played for a bit, the character moving through the polygonal world like it was meant to, the gun pointed out and ready to shoot when Ryuji pressed the right buttons and the enemies appeared. Makoto tilted her head, eyes wide with curiosity. She liked watching him play, he was so good at it that she was envious of it. Part of her wished she could watch him play all day, let her mind wander into a daydream as the sounds of the game made her sleepy. She wondered if this was all Ryuji did in his spare time; play video games and daydream.

“Hey, yer bein’ pretty quiet. You okay?” He asked after a while. He’d paused the game just to look at her, and she thought she saw genuine concern cross his features.

“I’m fine,” She replied quickly. “Just… A little bored, actually. Sorry.”

“Oh… Yeah sorry ‘bout that. I shoulda known that sittin’ there watchin’ someone else play could get kinda borin’ after awhile. You want a turn?” He held out the controller to her. “Just press the ‘x’ button to shoot and use this joy stick to move around and aim.”

“Er… Okay…” She reached out hesitantly and took the controller from him. She paused, holding it awkwardly in her hands and glancing from the screen to Ryuji.

“Oh ya gotta un-pause it. Here, lemme do it for ya,” He said, reaching over to press the start button. He leaned in and pressed a kiss against her jaw before he pulled away.

“What was that for?” Makoto asked, blushing deeply.

“Luck,” He said with another shrug. “Or you can consider it more practice, I guess. Whatever ya want.”

Makoto’s blush deepened. 

“You okay? Don’t tell me yer gettin’ flustered over a tiny kiss~” Ryuji teased, lips curling in a wide grin.

“Shut up, Ryuji… I’m… I’m just not used to the affection yet,” She tried to explain.

“Uh huh, suuuuuuuure.”

“Don’t patronize me!”

“Don’t what-now?” He asked, giving a confused tilt to his head.

“P-Patronize… It means to treat condescendingly or… or look down upon someone… Make fun of them, that sort of thing,” Makoto replied, looking away from him. The character in the game had been shot by an enemy, causing a game over.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, his other hand reaching gently under her chin to guide her gaze back to him. “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make ya feel like that… I was just teasin’,” He spoke softly, sincerely. “I just thought ya looked cute when you blushed, that’s all.”

Crimson eyes grew wide as she stared back into brown. “Y-You think I’m cute?” She asked, her heart thumping against her ribcage.

“Well, I uh… I mean… Y-Yeah, I think yer cute. Just like I think Ann’s cute, or any girl for that matter…” He stumbled over his words, releasing her shoulder to rub at the back of his neck. Now it was Ryuji’s turn to look away. He didn’t want to admit he had feelings for her, not when they were only supposed to be faking it.

“Ah… I see,” Makoto replied, trying her hardest not to sound disappointed. 

Then she felt the hand under her chin pull her closer, and before she could process what was going on she felt lips pressed firmly against her own. His hand held her there as he kissed her, brown eyes closed tightly. Makoto thought he looked in pain or something, like her lips were made of acid and he was forcing himself through the pain of it all. She blinked a couple of times, unsure what to do until he finally pulled away.

“I was that bad?” He asked with a frown.

“What?”

“The look on yer face makes me think I wasn’t very good at the whole surprise kissin’ thing.”

“Surprise kissing?”

“Yeah, like they do in all those silly romance films Ann watches. Damn, if I had 100 yen for every effin’ romance movie she dragged my ass to see back in middle school… I’d be a millionaire by now. But I guess I’m just not like all those handsome actors all you girls swoon over…” He sighed.

“I don’t like romance films either,” Makoto agreed.

“What?! But yer a girl! All girls like those sappy chick flicks!”

“I find them rather dull, to be quite honest,” Makoto replied. “Ann took me to see one recently and I found it rather… flat in terms of storyline. I couldn’t really pay much attention to it after the first few minutes.”

Ryuji smirked. “Damn, Queen. You keep surprisin’ me every day. What kinda movies do you like then?”

“It’s embarrassing…” She shook her head.

“Oh c’mon! It ain’t like I’ll make fun of ya for it! I promise! If I so much as snicker you can punch me right square in the face. Shit, you can beat the shit outta me if I laugh! I swear!!” He reassured her, reaching out to pat her shoulder again. “Kick me in the nuts if ya gotta.”

“I won’t do that, Ryuji. That would be mean,” Makoto replied, brows knitting in worry.

“It’s cool, I don’t care. I just want ya to know I ain’t gonna make fun of ya, okay?”

“Oh… Okay… I, er, I like crime films, specifically Yakuza based crime films…” She admitted, flushing pink again and turning her head to avoid his gaze.

“Really? That’s… Actually super cool. I didn’t know girls could be into that sorta stuff. But seein’ what else yer into, I can see the appeal.”

“You can?”

“Mhm, I mean, yer into Aikido, and ya like studyin’ and yer not afraid to stand up for y’self anymore after our encounter with Kaneshiro. I’d only expect ya to have good taste in movies! Yer one-of-a-kind, Queen.”

Makoto blushed again, looking down at her lap for a moment before she gently slipped her arms around Ryuji and hugged him close. “Thank you,” she spoke. “No one I tell that to has ever reacted the way you did… They always laugh and ask if I’m joking. They expect me to have some sort of refined taste in films… Like I should only like high class artistic or romance films or whatever.”

They hugged for a short moment or two before she pulled away and gazed up at him again. “Um… M-Maybe we should…”

“Yeah?” Ryuji asked, brows raising in curiosity. “Is it gettin’ late? Should I walk ya home?”

“No, no… I… I was just thinking we should… we should practice a little more. Y-Your kiss earlier wasn’t bad. I just wasn’t expecting it, actually. I’m sorry if my expression said otherwise,” Makoto explained, blushing again.

“We gotta make it look convincin’ around Eiko, right? Might as well get a little more practice in while we can…” Ryuji leaned down, cupping the brunette’s face in his hands. He was about to add something about how cute she was when she blushed, but he managed to stop himself for once.

His lips captured hers in a tender kiss, holding her there for a moment as they slowly grew more comfortable with each other. Their eyes fluttered shut and theirheartbeats pounded loudly against their rib cages. Makoto’s hands stayed in her lap, unsure what to do with them. Ryuji held her face as his lips parted slightly and glided across hers. She followed in tandem with him, mimicking the same movements with her lips as he did. After a moment or two, Ryuji reached down to gently guide her hands around her shoulders, before his landed on her waist. Makoto leaned forward a little more, tilting her head into the kiss and clearly getting more into it. He parted his lips against hers, testing the waters, and gently prodded at her peached pink lips with his tongue. To his surprise, she obliged, letting him past her lips and pressing her tongue against his in a small dance for dominance. 

Makoto panted slightly, her heart rate increasing the more she kissed him back. Her fingers found their way into the faux blond locks, tangling themselves there and holding on tightly. Ryuji’s grip on her waist tightened as he let out a small groan to let her know he was enjoying this. She shifted, swinging a leg over his lap so she was straddling him as he began to lean back against the wall behind him. Makoto sighed through her nose, letting out another small noise of pleasure as her tongue continued to play with his and their lips moved across each other’s.

She felt his hand slowly creep down to her hips, and while she was quite conscious of what he might be thinking about, she was much too preoccupied to really pay that much attention to it. She gave off a hum of warning as she kissed him again, tugging his hair a little harder to assert herself. He responded with a pleasured hum of his own, lips curling into a smile against hers as his fingers dared to explore a little further down. 

At this point she was well aware of what he was thinking and Makoto was not going to have it. She pulled away, a stern look crossing her features as he stared up at her with a goofy grin on his face. “Stop it,” she warned him. “I’m not comfortable with anything other than kissing.”

Ryuji, face flushed and grinning stupidly, pulled his hands away from her and raised them defensively. “Okay, okay! Promise I won’t touch ya if that’s what ya want,” He replied in an almost drunken slur. 

“I mean it, Ryuji!” Makoto warned, voice raising a little.

“I know!! I ain’t gonna do anythin’ you don’t want! I promise!” He protested. “You lemme know when to stop, okay? And I promise ya I’ll stop. No ifs, ands, or buts.”

Makoto scrunched up her nose, narrowing her eyes at the boy in suspicion. After a brief pause, she relaxed again, settling a little in his lap before awkwardly leaning forward and resting her chin on his shoulder. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close.

“Thank you,” She said softly. “I just… I’m nervous and I don’t… I don’t know if I’m doing this very well.”

“Yeah… same here,” Ryuji replied, rubbing her back slowly. “But it’s fine. We’re just practicin’ remember? Doesn’t the saying go that practice makes perfect? Ya don’t always gotta be perfect right away. And I was enjoyin’ it so we can’t be that bad, right?”

“I can tell…” She snorted, hugging him back. “But thank you, again.”

“What? You didn’t like it?” He asked, feigning offence.

Makoto giggled, shaking her head. She knew she couldn’t see his face, but she knew he had that stupid grin on his lips again. “It was… Well, I don’t think I can describe the feeling. It was really nice. I enjoyed it, yes.”

“Atta girl,” Ryuji jested, patting her back again. “Just relax. We’ll get used to it the more we do it. If you still wanna, of course.”

“Well… if we don’t Eiko might catch on that we aren’t dating…”

“Right,” Ryuji tried his best to hide the bitterness in his tone. He’d honestly forgotten this was all a ruse for Makoto’s stupid friend who couldn’t realize her boyfriend was a scumbag. Ryuji sighed and nodded, pulling Makoto back a little so he could look her in the eye. “Just practice for when ya find a real boyfriend. And to convince Eiko, of course.”

Makoto smiled, leaning in to plant a soft kiss on Ryuji’s lips before she pulled back. “I know I’ve said it a million times before, but thank you again for helping me, Ryuji.”

They leaned in again, heads tilting and eyes fluttering shut as they kissed again.

“Anytime, my Queen,” Ryuji whispered between kisses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it's taken so long for this chapter to get out. I would have had it done sooner but work at both jobs plus school has kept me hella busy. Things have started to heat up a little in this chapter~
> 
> Again, thank you to my lovely wife Kin and Crowgoescaw for reading this chapter over and giving me some edit suggestions!! Love you both immensely!!
> 
> Thanks again for reading! Comments and Kudos are also appreciated greatly!!


	8. Fireworks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fireworks festival might have ended with rain, but the fireworks don't seem to stop...

Eiko’s room looked like a dollhouse. Pink lacy frills lined her bed and pillows, shimmery white and pink curtains hung in front of her window, and everything looked so… so childish. Make-up littered her desk, and the only books she had on her single bookcase were romance novels and magazines with shoujo heroines and trendy models on the covers. In the corner of the room, a pile of Buchimaru plushes sat, piled high enough they were nearly touching the ceiling. Eiko sat amongst them, twirling her hair through her fingers and blowing a bubble of bright, neon pink bubblegum.

“So like, what are you and Sakamoto planning on doing this summer?” She asked, after the bubble had popped. “Tsukasa and I have TONS of things planned.”

“Oh…” Makoto looked up from the textbook she’d been reading and blushed slightly. “I… I don’t… I don’t really think we have anything planned…” 

Were they supposed to? Is that what couples did during summer break? The thoughts lingered in her head for a moment as Eiko shrugged at her. There was a short silence before the dark-haired girl broke out into a fit of giggles.

“You mean you don’t have cute dates planned out? Or anything really? Oh, you two must be the type of couple that likes to go-with-the flow~” She teased with a giggle.

“Go-with-the-flow?”

“You know, like you just take things as they come? Going along with whatever?”

“Oh, right… I guess?”

“But yeah… like, really? Nothing planned? Not even after exams?” Eiko looked at her in disbelief.

“Oh! Um… Well, we’re uh, going to the fireworks festival this weekend after exams,” Makoto replied. “Though it’s not really a date, we’re going with a bunch of our friends.”

“You mean the transfer student and Takamaki? It’ll be like a double date! Haha, I still can’t believe the criminal and Kamoshida’s sloppy seconds are together. It’s so weird…” Eiko blew another bubble. “Like, I guess she likes bad boys, that’s why she dated Kamoshida, right?”

Makoto refrained from snapping at Eiko. An annoyed sigh leaving her as she closed the text book and put it away in her bag. “Ann didn’t date him willingly…” She muttered. 

“Anyways, the fireworks festival is a cute date. Especially if you manage to get Sakamoto into a yukata. Oh! Matching yukata! That would be soooo cute! Haha~” Eiko seemed so easily swayed between conversation topics. It exhausted Makoto.

“Uhh I don’t even know if he… owns one… But I don’t think that matters. Are you going to the festival?” Makoto asked, attempting to change the subject away from matching yukata and cutesy couple things.

“Oh, no way! Tsukasa and I are going to a really fancy restaurant that night. Besides, I don’t want him looking at other, _prettier_ girls in their yukata. What if he falls in love with a traditional beauty? I can’t have some bitch stealing him away from me!” There was a clear hostility in the other girl’s voice, her usually bubbly expression fading for a moment. “You’re like, so brave to actually go to a festival where all those girls will be looking so pretty… What if Sakamoto falls for another girl at the festival?”

Makoto raised a brow, rolling her eyes. “What? Eiko that’s just ridiculous.”

“It could happen!” She protested, tossing a Buchimaru plush at the student council president. 

“You read way too many shoujo mangas…” Makoto laughed.

“Just be careful… Teenage boys have wandering eyes and their emotions about girls are easily swayed by what’s between their legs,” Eiko warned. “I’ve seen tons of my friends fall victim to hormonal teenage boys. It’s why I only date _older_ men~”

Makoto stood up and shook her head with another sigh. “I’ll talk to you later… Good luck on exams tomorrow, Eiko.”

* * *

“Uggghhh, what’s takin’ em so long?!” Ryuji complained, tapping his sneaker impatiently against the linoleum of the subway station they were meeting up at. Akira shrugged and Yusuke, dressed in full yukata, simply ignored the blond. The heat was incredible - sweat rolling down the back of their necks as they stood around waiting for Ann and Makoto.

Morgana poked his head out from Akira’s bag, panting from the heat. He had it much worse after all, considering he was covered in fur. A small mewl escaped the cat-like creature, reminding the boys how god-awfully hot and humid it was. A collective groan from all three followed.

“It’s so hooooooot!” Ryuji complained.

“It’s like an oven… I’m baking!!” Morgana added.

Akira huffed, nodding in agreement to them both. Yusuke, on the other hand, seemed too distracted by the people around them to worry about the heat. “It must be taking them time to put on their yukata,” The artist mused, finally looking over at Akira and Ryuji. “Why aren’t you two wearing one?”

“I didn’t think I’d need one when I came to Tokyo. Left mine back in Inaba,” Akira replied with a shrug.

“I see… that makes sense… But what about you, Ryuji?” Yusuke asked, leaning over slightly to look at him more closely.

The faux blond rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. “I dunno, it just ain’t my style I guess. I don’t got yukata… Ma ain’t got money to spend on buyin’ a new one every year when I grow taller n’ shit. She stopped buyin’ them for me when I hit middle school n’ it was just her n’ me…”

Yusuke and Akira didn’t say anything. Yusuke was broke but it seemed like Ryuji wasn’t much farther up the financial slope either. Ryuji continued on, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. “But man, you look too normal in that, Yusuke…”

“I suppose,” Yusuke replied, looking down in thought. “People have said that quite often to me, whenever Madarame and I would wear yukata in public together…”

Akira decided that the conversation was getting a little on the depressing side. He butted in, a smirk on his lips. “So how’d you do on your exams, Yusuke? Are they anything like exams at our school?”

“Oh, I’ve reached the top percentile again this semester,” Yusuke replied.

“Oh yeah… Exams… I forgot t’check the listings before the break. Damnit!” Ryuji added, knowing damn well he probably failed. “Oh well, they’ll be up still by the time we go back.”

“Bet you got a BIG FAT F, Ryuji~!!” Morgana teased.

“Shuddup cat! How would you know?!” Ryuji argued back, shoving his fists into the pockets of his cargo shorts.

Akira was just about to say something to stop the argument when a feminine voice stole everyone’s attention. Two girls had approached, one wearing a pretty pink yukata with cherry blossom barrettes in her auburn hair, while the other wore a black yukata and looked like a super model. Both had loads of make up on, and fake eyelashes, looking like they had come straight from Harajuku or the cover of some fashion magazine.

“Are you going to the festival too?” One asked, eyelashes fluttering in Yusuke’s direction. 

“Yes…” Yusuke replied, suspicion in his tone.

“Oh em gee, us too!! Let’s go together~!!” The other said, her voice more bubbly and girly. She seemed way too excited by Yusuke’s response.

Ryuji stared at them wide eyed. They were pretty, that was for sure. Prettier than anyone he’d ever seen… Okay, so not as pretty as Makoto, but it was hot out and he was getting impatient and if it meant having an excuse to get to the festival faster then he’d take it.

“Are we… gettin’ hit on? By girls? Real girls? For real?” He whispered to Akira. The raven haired boy looked back at Ryuji and rolled his eyes. There was a giddiness in Ryuji’s voice that was only reserved for when he rambled on about video games he liked or the ramen place he went to all the time or Makoto, when he was alone with Akira.

“C’mon, it’ll be fun~!” The girl in the pink yukata chimed. 

“Oh em gee, doesn’t he look like a model? Are you a model? You look like a model! You look sooooo good in that yukata!!” The other flirted with Yusuke.

“We’ve been waitin’ for nearly an hour now, and it’s a pain in this damn heat. Let’s just ditch with these chicks!” Ryuji whispered, clearly letting his dick make his decisions for him.

Akira frowned, “What about Ann and Makoto? That’s a little rude, don’t you think?”

“We’ll meet up with them later! We’ll apologize too. They won’t hate us, promise!!”

“That’s enough of that!” Yusuke interrupted the girls, causing Ryuji and Akira to look over at him in surprise. “You’re disgracing the yukata by dressing them up with such lavish frills. The true Japanese beauty of a yukata comes from wearing it with pride and honour, not with unnecessary accessories and make up that makes you look like you’re much older than you are. You’re shaming your own womanhood by not allowing your natural beauty to shine.”

The girls looked at him in utter shock, offence flashing across their features as they stared at him dumbfounded. Without another word they both turned on their heels and left, sticking their noses in the air and making small “hmph!” noises. Akira and Ryuji watched them walk away before Ryuji hung his head and groaned.

“Awwwwh, we coulda had a ton of fun!!” Ryuji complained.

“Then why don’t you run after them and join them? Idiot.” Ann’s voice replied from behind them. 

The boys turned at the sound of her voice to see her and Makoto walking up to them. Both dressed rather modestly in their yukata. Ann’s was light blue, with a floral pattern in bright spring colours, while Makoto’s was a plain and simple white with large red poppies all over. Makoto tucked her hair behind her ear and glared at Ryuji. He looked away in shame.

“So… _Those_ are the types of girls you like, Ryuji… I would have never guessed,” Makoto quipped, but there was just a hint of bitterness in her tone.

“Uh… Well, I… Uh—“ Ryuji began, wondering how on earth he would explain this without getting the shit kicked out of him. It wasn’t like they were dating! He could like other girls too!

“Yusuke, you look great but you really need to watch what you say! You totally hurt those girls’ feelings!” Ann added, changing the focus to Yusuke instead.

“At least he’s more likeable. He sticks to his ideals. Unlike _someone_ I know…” Makoto added, shooting a glance at Ryuji. He gulped. Now he really fucked it up.

“OH! By the way, Ryuji failed his exams too. What a loser, am I right?” Morgana added, a shit eating grin on the cat’s features.

“Did ya really hafta say that?!” Ryuji hissed, teeth grinding.

“Oh?” Makoto asked, a clear annoyance in her voice. 

“MONA YOU LITTLE SH—“ Ryuji shouted, but was cut off quickly by Ann.

“Anyways, we should get going! Lots to see lots to do~! Are you coming Akira?” She asked, taking her boyfriend’s hand and leading him, and subsequently Morgana, away from the fuming faux blond. Yusuke, having nothing better to do, simply shrugged and followed them.

Makoto began to walk away too, leaving Ryuji behind as he rambled on in attempt to save himself. “I mean talk about Japanese beauty. Ya both look amazin’ and… H-Hey wait up!!” He called after them, jogging to catch up.

The group made their way out of the station and onto the streets where the festival was being held. Ryuji trailed behind Makoto, itching to reach out and hold her hand, tell her he was sorry and that he’d never look at another girl like that ever again. She had this coldness about her she hadn’t had before now, and he only assumed it was because of those girls from earlier. But no matter how many times he opened his mouth to apologize the words wouldn’t come. He knew they weren’t dating and were just friends, but he still felt like she had been seriously hurt by his actions. 

Ann, Akira, Morgana, and Yusuke were a little further ahead than Ryuji and Makoto, just outside of earshot. Ryuji noticed this, taking it as his opportunity to make amends with the priestess. He strode beside her, easily keeping up with her pace.

“H-Hey… about what happened back there… I’m sorry, I was impatient and was gettin’ kinda annoyed that you n’ Ann were takin’ so long. I just wanted to get to all the fun festival stuff, those girls don’t mean anythin’ t’me n’ ya don’t gotta worry about a thing. Promise!” He explained in a slight whisper.

Makoto shrugged, not really looking at him. “I don’t really care about that. We’re not _actually_ dating, Ryuji. You’re free to date and flirt with anyone you want when we aren’t around Eiko. What I’m more concerned about are your grades…” She replied, pursing her lips.

Ryuji felt a sharp pain in his chest, clenching his fist in his pocket he swallowed hard and nodded, trying to hide how hurt he was by that statement. He kind of liked the idea of her being jealous, that maybe the chances of them actually getting together would increase now. He tried to play it off, letting out a nervous laugh and rubbing the back of his head. “I-I mean… Y’knew I wasn’t gonna pass the exams… And I tried my hardest! I really did! I promise if ya keep helpin’ me study I’ll do loads better on the next exams. I just… wasn’t able t’cut it this time. We started too late…”

Makoto sighed, looking over at him sternly. She’d never admit how much it hurt her to see him drooling over other girls (just like Eiko had warned her about), but she needed to be the more mature one here. They _were_ just friends after all. She couldn’t let a few kisses and flirty words sway her heart so easily. “Ryuji, I understand that you weren’t going to pass exams this time… I’m sorry for getting a little upset. I was disappointed. I guess I was just getting my hopes up. So I apologize for that.”

A somewhat relieved sigh left them both, though there was still a sense of tension there. Awkward and silent. Ryuji looked away, seeing Ann and Akira walking together up ahead, Yusuke trailing behind with his typical aloof look on his face. Ann turned to look at them, a smile spreading from one ear to the other. She pointed to the food stalls and shouted something over the crowd about how they should get snacks before finding a good spot to watch the fireworks. Ryuji couldn’t help but notice how happy she and Akira looked. He was almost jealous of them.

“Yeah… I’m sorry too. Why don’t we forget that whole thing and I’ll buy ya some takoyaki. I’ll make this the best festival ya ever been to, kay?” Ryuji asked, letting a small smirk pull at his lips.

Makoto looked up at him with wide eyes, her own little smile forming. “Okay… since you’re buying, I’m getting extra~!” She teased quickening her pace to catch up with the others. 

“H-Hey, my allowance ain’t that much!!”

* * *

“Oh no… The fireworks have already started…” Ann whined, trying to look over the hordes of people in the streets. Buildings stood in their way, blocking the view of the brightly coloured explosions in the sky. Their stomachs may have been full of snacks and festival goodies, but this was not what they’d been expecting as a view for the main event.

The group of friends tried their best to look up at the fireworks, disappointed by the crappy view. It was then that they felt the beginnings of rain trickle down on them, causing Morgana to yelp and hide deep inside Akira’s bag. The rest of the crowd also seemed to notice, the low murmur of collective disappointment running through the sea of people. 

“Why now?” Makoto muttered, holding her hand out as the rain started to pour down harder. Ryuji let out a small grunt of annoyance, tonight had been going relatively well until now.

Lightning struck, and the police started to blow their whistles, instructing people that the festival would have to end early due to the oncoming storm. Makoto tensed, reaching out to grasp at Ryuji’s shirt as the Phantom Thieves ran off in search for shelter from the rain. She tried her hardest not to show how scared she was, smiling nervously at the Chariot as they walked.

They stood under the canopy of a local convenience store, patting themselves dry with whatever they could find that wasn’t wet. Ann struggled to wring the water out of the bottom of her yukata, catching the boys staring at her exposed ankles and legs. Makoto pointed it out, causing the twintailed blonde to target Ryuji first, obviously. As they argued, Makoto sighed softly, recognizing the same sibling-like annoyance in Ryuji and Ann as was in herself and Sae. It made her want to giggle.

An announcement over the public speakers broke their little spat, telling the public to head home in an orderly manner and that the festival would not resume. A collective sigh of disappointment escaped the group of teenagers. Without a word, they decided to go into the store, just to get out of the rain and figure out what to do from there.

“Man it’s just as crowded in here as it is on the streets!” Ryuji complained, keeping close to Makoto, the air conditioning in the store made the already soaked teens shiver. Huddling together seemed like a plausible solution. 

“It’s better than staying out in the pouring rain, Ryuji!” Ann replied, leaning against Akira for warmth. Yusuke seemed content by himself, unaffected by the cool air of the store. Perhaps a side effect of his metaverse abilities, or his many years living in Madarame’s shack letting him grow used to the cold.

“What’s wrong, Makoto? You keep staring out the window,” Akira asked. Everyone’s attention turned to the student council president.

“I thought… I thought I just saw someone I know out there, that’s all…” Makoto answered, still staring at the black car on the street, driving off.

“You mean the girl in the black car?” Ann asked, having seen the girl dip into the vehicle before they went into the convenience store.

“Hey! That’s an idea! Mona, turn into your bus form so we gotta ride home!” Ryuji exclaimed.

Morgana poked his head out from Akira’s bag and shot the blond a dirty look. “It’s not possible in the real world. That’s not how cognition works!”

“My feet hurt, it’s freezing in here… the festival got cancelled… And Morgana can’t even turn into his bus form. Everything sucks,” Ann whined. “Akira, what do we do?”

Akira shrugged. “Go home I guess.”

“Man… we did all that work changin’ Kaneshiro’s heart and our reward gets cancelled. Laaaame,” Ryuji sighed.

“The rain is letting up,” Yusuke butted in. “We should take this opportunity to go our separate ways… We can reconvene together some other time, I suppose.”

“Yeah, let’s go home,” Morgana finished. 

Yusuke left first, heading off to the subway to get back to the Kosei dorms before the dorm’s curfew hit. Ann and Akira (with Morgana in tow) left next, deciding they’d catch a movie at Ann’s place instead. That left Ryuji and Makoto by themselves in the store…

“Well, lemme walk ya home,” Ryuji sighed, reaching his hand out for her to take.

Makoto stared at his hand for a moment, unsure if she should actually take it. But after a moment or two she relented, fingers intertwining with his as he pulled her out into the drizzly streets and toward the subway station. They were silent, moving as quickly as Makoto’s traditional attire would allow so they wouldn’t have to stay in the slowing rain for much longer. Weaving between the crowds, they made it to the platform and waited, pressed together for warmth from the cool air breezing through the station. 

Ryuji instinctively wrapped his arms around her as she shivered, knowing subconsciously that sharing his body heat would help her from catching cold. He smirked when he noticed the small blush on her face as people walking past them gave them the typical stare of someone catching a pair of lovers embracing in public. She was so cute. _So damn cute…_ He couldn’t even remember why he wanted to ditch her earlier in the first place. He squeezed her a little tighter, pulling her close and leaning down to peck her lightly on the cheek. “Just practice,” He whispered. “And maybe to say sorry for not bein’ able to give ya the best festival like I promised earlier…”

Makoto sucked in a deep breath, her blush deepening as he pressed his lips against her face. Cold wind rushed through the tunnel, making her shiver and cling to him tighter for warmth as the train arrived. “I did have the best time at the festival though,” she replied, turning to enter the train. “You bought me takoyaki, and before the rain started we were having a lot of fun looking at the various stalls and attractions. Overall, if it weren’t for the crowds and the rain, I had a wonderful time with you and the others. I haven’t had fun like that with real friends in years!”

Ryuji pulled her close, not caring what the other train passengers thought when Makoto giggled at him. He peppered a few more kisses along her cheeks, heart soaring at the notion that he was able to provide the experience he’d promised. Makoto continued to giggle and blush, squirming in his hold and telling him he was tickling her. He wouldn’t stop though, his kisses covering her face and lips until they made it to the right stop.

The two rushed through the station and up into the streets to find that the rain had come back harder than ever. Despite the walk to Makoto’s apartment being short, the rain was coming down in sheets and they’d only get more soaked than they already were. Looking at each other in worry, they gauged whether or not they should risk it.

“Well? Should we?” Ryuji asked.

“It’s getting late… M-Maybe we should…” She replied, looking out into the rain. “But I don’t want you to catch cold. You should come in and dry off, wait for the rain to stop, when we get there.”

“Is it cool if I do? What ‘bout your sister?”

“I think she’ll understand. She m-might have some clothes you can borrow… I know w-we have some of my dad’s old clothes still,” Makoto replied, avoiding looking at him. Her teeth were chattering.

“Even if she ain’t happy with me bein’ there, I don’t mind headin’ back home in the rain. Ya don’t gotta worry ‘bout me. Besides, if I get sick, ya can come take care of me n’ practice bein’ a good girlfriend~” Ryuji teased, giving her a coy grin.

Makoto jammed her elbow into his ribs, causing him to groan in pain. “Don’t be ridiculous! If my sister is there, then she’ll probably just offer you a ride home. She has a car, you know.”

“Y-Yeah, yeah,” Ryuji replied, somewhat disappointed. “I was only teasin’ ya…”

He pulled her out into the rain by the hand, having made the decision for the both of them and risking getting soaked. Makoto immediately protested, a shocked squeal leaving the brunette as she tried to turn back and stay under the shelter of the station’s entrance. Ryuji’s grip was firm though, and he was much, much stronger than she was, despite all her efforts. He pulled her along as quickly as his legs could go without breaking into a sprint, knowing she’d not be able to keep up if he did. After a moment of her yelping and crying out at him to slow down, he finally did. They were only a few feet away from the condominium building she lived in, but the blond turned to look at her anyways. 

“Are you nuts?! We’re soaked now! We’re going to catch a cold!!” She screamed over the roaring downpour all around them.

“Ya said it was gettin’ late! I don’t want yer sister bein’ worried ‘bout ya! Let’s hurry up so ya can get dry quicker!” He yelled back. 

Before he even thought about it, he leaned down, cupping her face in his hands as his lips captured hers in a tender kiss. They lingered there for a moment, lips pressed against each other and eyes shut tightly as the rain poured down on them. After a few seconds though, Makoto’s hands slipped around his shoulders, her head tilting slightly and lips parting. Ryuji took it as an invitation, kissing her more deeply. The rain didn’t seem to bother them now, completely distracted by each other. Makoto let out a small gasp and Ryuji moved his hands down to her waist, pulling her in closer and kissing her harder, his tongue pressing against hers. 

The romantic embrace was interrupted when a crack of thunder caused Makoto to pull away from him and yelp, her nails digging deep into his shoulders as lightning lit up the sky. “L-Let’s go inside now!!” She whimpered. “P-Please!!”

Ryuji didn’t have to be told twice to know that she was cold and frightened. Her violent shaking said it all and he quickly wrapped an arm around her shoulders and lead her to the front doors. Once inside, she relaxed slightly, but the moment another crack of thunder hit she clung to him in fear, nails digging into his arm as they dripped over the lobby floor waiting for the elevator. He couldn’t help but let out a tiny chuckle, she looked so cute clinging to him.

“What are you laughing at me for?!” She asked, her cheeks flushing pink. “I… I’m terrified of thunder and lightning… I always have been s-since I was a kid…”

“Sorry! I wasn’t laughin’ at ya, promise! I just think it’s uhhh what’s that word? When somethin’ means somethin’ else or… Uhhh.. Ironic! That’s the word I was lookin’ for! I think it’s ironic that someone as brave n’ smart n’ amazin’ as you gets scared over a lil thunder~” He teased, getting into the elevator and watching as she pressed the button for the top floor.

“It’s not funny, Ryuji,” She muttered, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting. Her yukata clung to her, the white fabric becoming slightly transparent from how wet it had gotten. Ryuji quickly looked away, not wanting to perv on her when she was angry with him.

“I said I was sorry,” He replied, staring at the doors to the elevator. The rest of the ride up to her floor was laid with an awkward silence. Both Makoto and Ryuji avoiding looking at each other as much as possible. When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Makoto lead the way down the hallway to her sister’s condo.

“Alright, guess I made good on my promise. I got ya home…” Ryuji finally spoke, rubbing the back of his neck and looking back down the hall towards the elevator. 

“Y-You’re not coming in to dry off?” She asked, her voice small and soft. She sounded almost childlike.

“Uh… i-is it cool? L-Like, yer sister’s not gonna get mad?” He asked, brown eyes looking at her worriedly.

Makoto didn’t reply, she simply turned and unlocked the door, stepping inside. After kicking her shoes off, she wandered further into the apartment, looking around. Ryuji followed her cautiously. 

“Sae? I’m home!” She called out, looking around the living room area. She checked a few of the doors leading to other rooms, calling her sister’s name. When no reply came, she turned to Ryuji and shrugged. “I guess she’s not home… No big surprise there.”

“O-Oh…” Ryuji didn’t know what else to say. Was… was this that normal for Makoto to come home to? An empty house? It felt very similar to how his mom was always out of the house; either at one of her various jobs or doing some sort of errand. But for some reason this felt… colder.

“Oh well,” Makoto seemed unfazed. “The bathroom is just over there. Let me go see if we have some of my father’s old clothes you can wear while you dry yours off…” She wandered through the apartment, leaving the faux blond to stand there, dripping on the floor.

She came back a moment later, still in her soaked yukata, holding a pair of grey plaid lounge pants and plain black t-shirt with a graphic of some band from the west on it. He wasn’t sure who “The Smiths” were but Makoto’s dad must have really liked them, considering how worn out the shirt looked. She handed them to him and pointed to the bathroom again.

“Here, get changed… There should be a whole pile of towels in there too so you can dry off. I’ll boil some water for tea while you‘re in there,” she said.

“Shouldn’t ya change too? Yer gonna catch cold…”

“I’m fine.”

“Makoto…”

“I’m fine!” And just as she said it, as if to prove herself wrong, she sneezed.

“C’mon, lemme run a bath… I’ll get ya some dry clothes and stuff too,” Ryuji sighed.

“N-No!” She protested. “I don’t want you snooping around my underwear drawer!”

Ryuji felt his face burn, he looked away and laughed nervously. “W-Well that’s… I mean… I’m not… Uhhhh…. I d-didn’t mean it like that I was just… tryna help…”

There was a small pause between them, brown met crimson eyes as the awkwardness settled around them. A beat passed and Makoto lifted a hand up to cover her mouth, a small giggle leaving her. The giggles grew louder and louder until finally she was laughing fully. Ryuji didn’t even know what was so funny but he started to laugh too. Something about this whole situation managed to be funny to them, and they weren’t complaining.

Thunder cracked again, as if reminding them why they were here. Makoto jumped and yelped. She reached out and grasped at Ryuji’s arm, causing him to drop the clothes she had given him. “S-Sorry! It scared me… that’s all…”

“S’okay. Yer safe. I’m here,” Ryuji replied, grasping both her shoulders. “I’ll keep ya safe…”

Makoto’s eyes grew wider as she stared up at him, her face burning red with a blush. Her heartbeat felt like it was speeding up with every second she stared into his eyes, she could hear it pounding in her ears making for an abstract soundtrack to the moment. A second or two passed, her lips parting as she thought of a response. 

But before she could say a word, he cupped her face in his hands again and kissed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gfjhgaskjfh I'M SO SO SORRY! Hi! It's been like three months since the last chapter. And I promised at the beginning of this fic I'd be posting a chapter a month... Well, some things happened. Firstly, I've been so exhausted with work that it took a while to even write this chapter, secondly, I had to rewrite this chapter like 3 times cause my computer kept crashing, and finally, i've just been very lazy. I apologize profusely!
> 
> Anyways, thanks to Mike and Kin and my other beta readers for helping me edit. <3  
> Please enjoy~ I promise the next chapter won't be three months from now.


	9. No Harm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last Night I Dreamt that Somebody Loved Me  
> No Hope, No Harm  
> Just another false alarm~

The hemline of Makoto’s yukata started to inch its way up her legs as Ryuji lifted her up onto the washing machine. Heated breaths brushed past their lips, which only seemed to part for a few seconds at a time between wet, passionate kisses. His hands were gently gripping at her waist as her legs hooked around him. Makoto’s chest heaved, her fingers lacing through his faux blond and tightening their grip the more he pressed his hips against hers. 

Ryuji pulled away for a brief moment to gaze into her crimson eyes. He’d forgotten about everything; the bath he was going to run for her, the storm outside, even the fireworks festival earlier that night. All his focus was on Makoto and how gorgeous she looked with her hair damp and the yukata slightly transparent from the rain. He felt the blood rushing to his loins, lust taking over his mind. He wanted her _so badly_. And from the half-lidded gaze she was giving him, it looked like she wanted him too. 

As if to test the waters, Ryuji hesitantly slipped his hand up her abdomen and between her breasts, searching for the neckline of the yukata so he could cup one of her small breasts in his hand. When he started to dip his fingers under the fabric and she didn’t push him away, he continued, feeling the lacy fabric of her bra underneath. That gesture alone made a small whimper rise in Makoto’s throat, his hands were cold and she could feel it through the thin lace. But she didn’t stop him, she seemed drunk with pleasure and smiled at him to continue. 

He squeezed the small mound of flesh gently as Makoto slowly began to untie the obi around her waist. Their heartbeats were racing in their chests as she untied her yukata and let it slip away from her body and pool under her on the washing machine. His breath caught in his throat as he looked at her in only her undergarments, a blush rising in his face as he tried his hardest not to stare too much. Makoto giggled softly, cupping one hand over the hand he had on her breast while her other hand slipped up his tank top. Reassured that she wasn’t against this, Ryuji managed a small grin in response, moving his hands away from her only to peel out of his wet shirt and drop it on the floor next to the clothes she had brought to him a few moments earlier. His lips found hers again, hand returning to her breast as she began to run her hands along his chest and abdomen. Small whimpers of pleasure spilled against his tongue as she kissed him back, eager to keep up the practice. 

Makoto knew this was getting intense and rather risky. But it was a good distraction from the raging storm outside and she was more than willing to allow him to touch her more intimately if it meant keeping her mind off her fears. A breathy sigh left her as Ryuji finally slipped his hand under the lace of her bra, pads of his finger tips brushing slightly over her nipple and causing her to shiver. He noticed the reaction he got from her; burying her face in his neck and letting her thighs tighten around his waist. He couldn’t help the small huff of laughter that left him at the cute reactions to how sensitive she was. 

“Hey… D-Did that feel good?” He asked, a little hesitant. He didn’t let her reply before his fingers brushed over one of her nipples again, causing her to gasp sharply and shiver again. “Seems like you _really_ enjoy it…” He teased.

“R-Ryuji…” She whimpered, face burning red. She hid her face from him in his shoulder, embarrassed to admit that he’d found a weak spot. The shiver that ran down her spine afterwards was one of being cold as opposed to the more pleasurable ones she’d been giving off recently.

“Cold?” He asked, concern in his voice. To which she nodded against his shoulder. “Then we should get ya to someplace more warm. C’mon, Queen.”

With that he lifted her off the washing machine and down the hallway towards the main living room. She directed him to her room, and he carefully carried her towards it, her legs wrapped tightly around his waist and face buried in his neck the whole time. Once inside her room, he gently set her down on her bed, taking a moment to let the wall of bookcases and simple decor set in. Her Buchimaru collection was nothing like how she’d described Eiko’s to be; but it was humble in comparison to his collection of video games and junk back in his room. A warm smile spread across his face; this was just the type of room he’d expect her to have.

“W-what?” She asked, looking up at him in worry.

“Nothin’. I’m just admirin’ yer room… It fits ya, y’know.”

“Oh… I…”

He cut her off with another kiss, his heart swelling at the thought that he was here with her right now, keeping her distracted and safe from the storm. He shifted her to the head of the bed and hastily pulled his damp shorts off, tossing them aside before he settled in beside her to pull the covers over them both.

“Wh-what are you doing?” She asked, but still she shifted closer, as if she understood his logic completely. 

“Keepin’ us warm,” he replied, wrapping his arms around her again and beginning to trail kisses down her neck. The more he did so, the tighter his boxers felt, and with her body pressed against his, he was surprised she hadn’t noticed.

“That… That’s logical,” she whispered, letting heated breaths leave her again. The warmth of his body and the blanket surrounding them managed to raise her body temperature quickly. And with his hands beginning to explore her body again, she couldn’t help but react. A small, giddy moan left her as he found a nipple again, rolling it gently between two fingers. His touch of her sensitive breasts paired with the slow, wet kisses he place along her neck only had her falling farther into euphoria.

His hands still felt like ice, but she really didn’t seem to mind with the sensation that shook through her body. It was better than anything she could ever achieve on her own. His free hand slipped down to her thighs and although part of her wanted to protest, Makoto had decided that tonight she would let her inhibitions run free. Rebelling against the societal judgements that good girls like her were supposed to stay chaste and pure felt right. Perhaps that was Johanna’s influence on her, but she certainly didn’t mind at all. His fingers trailed along her inner thigh up towards her panties at a snail’s pace, teasing her and making her agonizingly desperate for more. 

She whined softly, feeling his tongue against her neck and his fingers gently pinch and squeeze at her breasts again. He knew damn well what he was doing to her and it frustrated her to no end. Makoto huffed, cracking her eyes open to look at him pleadingly. 

“Don’t tease me, Ryuji,” She whined.

“I thought ya liked this?” He replied, brown eyes looking up at her innocently. The devilish smirk pulling at his lips gave him away though. “Ya sure it’s okay? I won’t do nothin’ ya don’t want. Promise.”

“J-just…” She hesitated, thinking it over again. “Just touching… nothing else… I don’t think I’m ready to, er, go all the w-way just yet…” She looked away awkwardly, pink flushing her cheeks again.

“Y-Yeah… Anythin’ ya want, My Queen~”

Her heart skipped a beat, eyes widening as his fingers gently brushed against the small wet patch that had formed on her panties. Makoto sucked in a sharp breath, gripping onto his arms tightly and letting the pleasurable new feeling wash over her. Ryuji’s fingers were surprisingly gentle, as if he was hesitant about possibly hurting her. He rubbed in slow, deliberate circles, pleased to find the wet patch growing wider the more he did so. Makoto’s whimpers and soft mewls of pleasure grew louder and more desperate the more he worked her through her panties. 

“Ya likin’ this?” He asked, voice low and seductive. His eyes were half-lidded as he looked into hers, his breath hot against her neck. He was enjoying this just as much as she was.

Makoto panted, nodding quickly in response. Her nails dug into his skin as another wave of pleasure rolled over her, making her bite her bottom lip and tilt her head back. Ryuji took the opportunity to slip his fingers under the waist band of her panties, finally touching her wet slit without any barrier. That alone made Makoto cry out in pleasure, her hips beginning to rock against his hand in attempt to help bring her closer to climax. He continued the slow rhythmic strokes up and down the lips, stoping at the clitoris to press against it gently with the pad of his finger tips. Makoto gasped, clinging even tighter to him and squeezing her thighs around his hand. From her reactions alone he could tell he’d hit a good spot. 

“Ya sure I should be doin’ this t’ya?” He asked, as if he wasn’t already in too deep. 

“W-what does it matter now, Ryuji?” She replied breathlessly. “J-Just shut up and keep doing what you’re doing~”

“Right… My bad,” Ryuji chuckled, leaning in to kiss her deeply again. She returned the kiss passionately, fingers tangling into his hair and tongue moving against his. He gave in, letting out his own little moan as he slipped a finger inside her. He pumped slowly, stroking her walls as she moaned heavily against his lips. Ryuji was in heaven; the girl of his dreams was melting in his hands and he was the one to do it. How could he not be the happiest guy on the planet right now? He didn’t even care if they weren’t actually dating.

Makoto let out a small cry of pleasure again, her walls tightening around his finger as he slipped another into her. He started to pump his wrist a little faster, encouraged by the sweet little noises she made. Makoto couldn’t take it anymore, the way he touched her and made her feel like she was floating and burning up all at once was overwhelming. Her toes curled and thighs tightened around him again.

“R-Ryuji I… I’m going to—“ She cut herself off with a rather loud, illicit moan, jaw dropping as wave after wave of intense pleasure came over her. She’d only ever experienced this feeling a few times before; alone in the bath tub or in bed late at night when she knew Sae was fast asleep. Makoto cupped a hand over her mouth to keep from being too loud but Ryuji reached up with his free hand to move it. 

“That’s it… L-Let it out… I wanna hear it. Good girl,” He panted, still working her fingers inside her. She felt her face burn white hot and immediately tried to hide her face from him, but he caught her chin and held her there so he could look her deeply in the eyes. Something about the way his voice dripped with lust made her melt all over again. She moaned his name softly, gazing into his eyes as she rode out her orgasm against his hand and the pace eventually slowed. 

Eventually the pair stopped altogether, still staring each other in the eye. Makoto panted, breathless and sweaty in the afterglow of it all. Ryuji, didn’t know what to do, his fingers curled once more, causing her to squirm slightly before he pulled his hand out from her panties. He looked at the remnants of his hard work glistening on his fingers and smirked.

“D-Don’t look at me like that!” Makoto whined, snapping back to reality. She gave him a light shove, face pink with embarrassment as she watched him lick her juices off his fingers. “R-RYUJI!!! Don’t do that, it’s gross!!!” She gasped, reaching for his wrist to pull his hand away from his mouth.

“What? Ya taste good, by the way~”

“PERVERT!” She shrieked.

Ryuji burst out laughing as he leaned in to pull her close again. “Aww c’mon Makoto I’m only teasin’!” He protested, peppering kisses along her neck again. He took the opportunity to gently grind against her leg, letting her feel his arousal. “Yer just so hot, Makoto.”

“I’m… I’m not comfortable…” Makoto replied, trying her best to move away from him. Immediately he stopped, pulling away from her and raising his hands up to show he wasn’t going to do anything else. Her heart skipped a beat in her chest.

“Y-You’re not going to continue?” She asked. 

“Ya ain’t comfortable… Ya said so yerself…” He replied. 

“I… I know but… y-you’re aroused. Aren’t you going to… try and convince me?”

“I’d love to continue this, but if ya ain’t comfortable I ain’t gonna try and force ya t’be. Like I said earlier, we’re takin’ this at yer pace. What you says goes.” He started to get up, moving away from her and towards the door, there was still a smile on his face. Though his eyes were less lustful now and far more caring. 

“Where are you going? Did I do something wrong? I’m sorry!” She panicked, sitting up and reaching out to him. “Don’t go! Not yet!”

Ryuji turned to her and sighed, “Relax! I’m just goin’ t’grab the clothes yer lettin’ me borrow. You should put somethin’ on too. Yer gonna catch a cold if you sit around undressed.”

“You’re coming back?”

“Duh, I ain’t got anywhere else t’go.”

“Don’t make fun of me!”

“I’m not! Chill! I told ya I’d keep ya safe durin’ the storm and I plan to make due on that promise.” With that he left her bedroom, leaving her alone with her thoughts and to get dressed by herself. She did so slowly, pulling on an old baggy t-shirt and climbing back into bed.

When he returned, he was dressed in the clothes she’d given him earlier. The shirt looked baggy and loose on him, but Makoto thought he looked handsome either way. She reached out to him and he slipped into bed beside her. They tangled together under the covers, Makoto’s face buried against his neck again and Ryuji letting out a content sigh.

Another crack of thunder made Makoto tense slightly, but the feeling of Ryuji being so close made her relax slowly. Ryuji held her tightly, pressing his lips to forehead and whispering that it was all okay. She let out a shaky breath and smiled.

“Thank you, Ryuji,” She whispered, closing her eyes.

“Anytime,” He whispered back.

They laid in silence for a while, eventually they both drifted off to sleep. But both were wondering just what was going on between them as they drifted. For the moment though, the storm outside was their excuse to cuddle up a little closer while they slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a reference to The Smiths in the last Chapter so why wouldn't I name this chapter after one of their best songs? Anyways I'm gonna be out of country for the next week so I'd thought I'd leave my readers with a present before I go. I didn't have anyone edit or beta for me this time cause it was such short notice, but I'll update if I catch any grammatical errors. 
> 
> Anyways, here's the lewd smut I promised. Enjoy~!


	10. From Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another double date with Eiko goes terribly wrong.

Morning crept through Makoto’s blinds, sunlight crawling across her bedroom floor and over her sheets. She awoke to the sound of a notification on her phone, the familiar “Pi-Pi” noise a sharp and harsh contrast to the pleasant atmosphere her room had become after the rain last night. Turning to face her night table, she noticed her phone had been plugged into the charger at some point. But she couldn’t remember doing that. She reached for the phone, realizing immediately that Ryuji was now missing. She sat up and looked at the screen, seeing a text from the now missing blond.

**[SMS To: Queen]**

Sorry I couldn’t stay to see u wake up. Didn’t wanna get caught by ur sis. I’m on my way home now but we should hang out again soon. I’ll make up 4 the shitty festival, promise!!

 

Makoto smiled, sighing in relief at the message. She quickly tapped out a reply, telling him she was looking forward to hanging out again. But the rather lustful events from last night replayed in her head again, and she didn’t know how things would work out between them. She felt awkward about the whole thing, a blush creeping onto her cheeks as she remembered the voice he made as she came. She set the phone back down and slipped out of bed, planting her feet on the floor and ready to start her day. If there was one way to get over the awkwardness, it would be with a healthy breakfast.

* * *

Akane Sakamoto stood in the kitchen like she usually did each morning, a cup of coffee in her hands and the newspaper propped up against the backsplash of the stove. It was a morning routine she was quite used to, but today was different, because instead of waiting for her son to crawl out of bed sleepily to ask for something to eat, he was no where to be found.

Until he slipped in through the front door, a dreamy look on his face and his hair and clothes a disheveled mess.

“And just where have y’been all night, young man?” His mother asked sternly. Her eyes narrowing at him in suspicion, she turned towards the door and watched as he kicked off his shoes.

“Sorry Ma,” Ryuji replied, still smiling. “I had a good time at the festival last night. When we got rained out I ended up stayin’ over at a friend’s place. I know, I know. I shoulda called or texted ya. But we uhh, we were havin’ a lotta fun and I forgot. Again, I’m sorry.”

“A friend’s?” The older Sakamoto asked, quirking a brow.

“Y-Yeah… I uhhh, just hung out… with them…”

“What’s their name?” She asked, a small smirk forming on her lips.

“Uhhh it was Kurusu.”

“The infamous Kuru-kun huh? So you n’ him where at Ann-chan’s then?”

“What?! N-No?”

“Cuz I follow Ann-chan on her social media n’ last night she posted a pic of her n’ him hangin’ out. You weren’t anywhere t’be seen n’ there wasn’t any mention of ya.”

Ryuji gulped, caught in his own lie. Of course his mother followed Ann on her social media, she’d known Ann since they were kids. Of course she’d know he was lying. She was his mother, she knew him the best out of anyone. His mother pulled out her phone and showed him the picture; Ann was sitting on the couch with Akira beside her, Morgana squished in between them and looking miserable as the teens posed for the camera.

“So who were ya with then, Ryu-kun?” Akane asked, the smirk growing wider.

“M-Ma… I…” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Uhhh, well y’know the student council president? Niijima? Uhh well y’know she’s been hangin’ out with us lately n’ when the rain hit I wanted t’make sure she got home but we got soaked and…”

His mother quickly interrupted him. “You didn’t do anythin’ dirty, did ya? I’ve seen those nasty magazines n’ manga under yer bed.”

“M-MA!!” he yelled, immediately blushing and running past her to disappear into his room. He heard her chuckling as he shut the door behind him.

* * *

Eiko was lovingly doting on Tsukasa, fixing the obnoxiously bright coloured collar of his shirt and giggling as he picked at his teeth with a tooth pick. Ryuji and Makoto watched in disgust, occasionally glancing at each other whenever Eiko said sickeningly sweet nothings to Tsukasa. Makoto had to stomp on Ryuji’s foot under the table when he almost gagged at Eiko’s affectionate use of the word “Sweetums.”

The restaurant they were at was dingy and low-lit. A seedy place in the red-light district that Tsukasa had suggested for the date. The fact that three of the four of them were far too young to be hanging out in this place only made the Priestess and Chariot a little more uncomfortable than they already were. Eiko didn’t seem to appear phased by their surroundings, all her focus on the host sitting beside her.

“Oh by the way Princess, when we ditch Blondie and his chick later, I gotta talk to you about something,” Tsukasa mentioned, taking a sip from his glass of beer. “You sure you two don’t want anything to drink? It’s fine, no one will care if you’re underage here.”

Eiko just giggled, reaching for the glass of wine the host had bought for her.

Makoto shook her head, “I’d rather not. Besides being underaged, I just don’t see the appeal of drinking alcohol.”

“I ain’t gonna drink ever,” Ryuji added. “S’bad for ya… Bad for those around ya too…”

Makoto tilted her head in curiosity, she parted her lips as if to ask him about it but decided now was not the time nor place to do so. Especially with Eiko and the host sitting across from them. Makoto reached over, her hand gently cupping over Ryuji’s on his knee. The blond looked down at their hands, a small smile on his face. He knew she was only doing it for show, but part of him wanted to believe she meant it as more than that.

Eiko broke their gaze with a shrill laugh. “You two are so cute~!! And I never thought Sakamoto’d be the type to be straight edge. Aren’t you supposed to be the school’s delinquent? Or maybe Makoto-chan has rubbed off on you~?”

Ryuji reached up to rub the back of his neck and looked away bitterly. Makoto flinched away from him, feeling like this whole night had been a mistake. She knew they shouldn’t have agreed to another double date, but her concern for Eiko had outweighed everything else when Eiko had mentioned going to a bar. Ryuji seemed uncomfortable being here the moment they’d walked in.

No… that wasn’t it. He’d been uncomfortable before that too. Ever since the fireworks festival a week ago, he’d been quieter, shyer, around her. Makoto couldn’t deny that she too found it a little awkward after the events that had transpired, but she didn’t let it get in the way of their friendship or Eiko’s safety. 

Sucking in a deep breath, Makoto stood up from her seat. She had assessed the situation enough to know that things would only get worse if they stayed much longer. “It’s getting late. My sister will be worried,” She lied. “Ryuji, maybe it’s time we… get going?”

The Chariot shot a quick glance up at her and nodded. “Whatever ya wanna do, My Queen,” he slipped, eyes widening as he realized what he’d just said. 

A brief stunned silence fell over the four. Makoto’s face burned bright pink, but she tried to play it off, thinking he’d only said it to play along with the charade. Ryuji felt his ears burn as the embarrassment crept up on him. Eiko and Tsukasa finished off their drinks and watched in genuine fascination before Eiko giggled again.

“Did you start calling her that cause my Tsukasa calls me Princess~?”

“I… N-No! I just… She’s… Argh… S-Shuddup!!”

Makoto flopped back down in her seat, hand cupped over her chin as she joined Eiko in giggling. Ryuji gave her a look of abject horror, truly betrayed by the Priestess in his momentary slip up. Makoto shook her head and leaned forward, smiling at Eiko.

“No, no, he simply calls me that because before we got to know each other he considered me the stuck-up, snobby type. The Queen Bee, if you will. I’m nothing like that… I think… But I think it’s a cute nickname,” She explained.

Tsukasa quirked a brow, glancing between the two sitting across from him. He slowly brought the glass of beer up to his lips and drank, a smirk appearing on his thin lips as he listened to Makoto’s clear bullshit lie. “Sounds like you two gotta lotta history. Makes for a cute love story, huh?”

Ryuji grumbled something under his breath and folded his arms across his chest, leaning back in his seat. But before anyone else could continue the conversation, a balding fat man in a black suit came over to the table and cleared his throat. Clearly the man was agitated, tapping his foot impatiently and making huffed breaths when Tsukasa gave him a wide eyed, fearful look.

“Nayaki-san! Ahh, a-a pleasure to see you here… I uh… f-forgot ya own this bar as well as the host club I work at. I w-was just hangin’ out here with my girlfriend and her friends. Y-You uhhh You need my help with something?” The host stuttered, a nervous laugh passing his thin lips.

“You’re damn fucking right I need your help with something!!” The man boomed, making the three high schoolers lean back and gaze up at him in fear. “You fucked around last night and broke _three_ champagne bottles! The expensive ones! And you think I’m just gonna let that shit slide?!”

“S-Sir! I-it was an accident, I swear! I tripped while I was carrying them!” Tsukasa sounded weak, nothing like his normal, slimy self. “I swear I’m gonna get you the money for them. I just… I need a week at most! Please!”

“You got a week to come up with that money. Or your pay checks for the next decade are mine, you got it?!”

“Y-Yeah! Of course! I’ll work extra hard, promise!”

“Good.” With that the man turned to leave. “And you better fucking be paying for all the alcohol you got tonight or I’m taking that off your pay too.”

Another stunned silence fell over the group. Makoto and Ryuji felt even more awkward than before, looking at each other with knitted brows and pursed lips. Eiko, quickly leaning in to hug Tsukasa’s arm, looked as if she was going to burst into tears at any moment.

“Sweetums? W-What was all that about?” She asked.

“It’s nothing, Princess. Nothing you gotta worry about. Remember I said I gotta talk to you about something after we ditch these two? Well uhh, you just got a preview of it, I guess…” Tsukasa tried his best to return to the suave personality he put on around them. Ryuji and Makoto weren’t buying it, brown and crimson eyes narrowing at the host.

“Well, s’like the Queen says. Better be gettin’ home. Her sister’s gonna worry n’ I don’t wanna entice her wrath,” Ryuji cut in, immediately taking Makoto’s hand. Before anyone could get another word in, he pulled the Priestess away from the table and through the bar, heading straight for the door. “We’ll see ya around. See ya, Eiko! Have a good rest o’ya night!”

* * *

“There ain’t something right about that effin’ host,” Ryuji spat angrily as they walked toward the station. Makoto had to jog to keep up he was walking so fast. “Didn’t that whole lil’ scene between him n’ his boss seem… y’know… like a movie t’ya?”

“A movie?” Makoto asked, tilting her head.

“Fake! Like… Like it was a buncha made up lines for a movie or…”

“You mean it was staged?”

“Yeah! Staged!! Who actually talks like that?!” Ryuji shouted, throwing his arms up in the air. “‘Yer the guy who owns th’place and y’also own the place I work at!’ Who the hell talks like that?! Not me! Do you?”

“Y-You’re right… that does seem… odd.”

They’d stopped walking, the neon glow of The Crossroads sign illuminating them like it had the night they’d discovered Eiko’s job. Makoto looked down in thought, her hand cupping her chin as she replayed the events over in her head. Things did seem to oddly fit in place like a scene from a movie or stage play; the foreshadowed mention of an important conversation, the boss showing up at just the right moment, the cheesy line delivery, everything just seemed so perfectly set up.

“W-Wait… My father used to warn my sister and I never to deal with Hosts because they were quite good at scamming money out of their victims. B-But that’s just… M-Modern day Hosts don’t do that right? I remember my father saying they trick you into paying them more and more money by saying they broke an expensive bottle or somehow got into some serious debt… then they lure you into.. well… s-sex trafficking basically. Under the guise of helping your host boyfriend pay off their debt…” Makoto paused to look up at Ryuji, tears brimming in her crimson eyes as she’d put the pieces together. “Y-You don’t think…?”

Ryuji opened his mouth to answer, unsure of what to say really. It sounded exactly like Tsukasa was trying to pull a scam on Eiko. Makoto’s worst fears for her new friend had come true. A deep set sigh left him, and then Makoto’s phone rang.

“H-Hello?” Makoto answered it.

“Hey! Where’d you two run off to? Tsukasa and I are still at the bar. Everything is fine!” Eiko’s voice was on the other end.

“Are you okay?” Makoto asked.

“Yeah… why?”

“Uhh that guy earlier just… was really loud and intimidating. I was worried you were upset,” Makoto replied.

“Oh.. I’m more upset you guys bolted without at least saying goodbye, but it’s fine. Tsukasa explained the whole thing. He’s gonna start picking up extra shifts so he can pay off the debt. I told him that I’d pick up more shifts at the Salon — since its summer break — to help pay. But yeah anyways, where are you guys? Are you headed home already? I guess I should come home too…”

“W-We’re standing outside a bar called the Crossroads. Why don’t we head home together?” Makoto blurted out quickly. “Since we live pretty close to each other, we can just commute together, right?”

“Oh! Sounds cool!! I’ll meet you there in like five minutes, okay? Bye~!!”

Both the Priestess and Chariot let out a collective sigh they didn’t realize they’d been holding in. The awkward aftermath of their night together at the fireworks festival had been completely forgotten. For now. 

“Let’s take her home, then I’ll take you home, sound good?” Ryuji asked.

“Y-yeah… We’ll have to keep a closer watch on her and Tsukasa though.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was sort of rushed because I wanted to move the plot along. I figured there was a lot of filler happening so I needed an event to push the plot line a little further. Unfortunately I had no time for much editing, but thank you to those who did read it over beforehand for me! <3


	11. We Decided to Get Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Small warning: mentions of abuse. 
> 
> Eiko’s debt worsens and Ryuji feels conflicted.

Makoto worried constantly over Eiko for the next few days. She paced around her room, stared holes into her phone looking for a text or phone message, and spent her nights wide eyed looking up at the ceiling. Ryuji had texted her once or twice, asking her if she wanted to meet up and play a few video games or study or do anything. But Makoto had immediately rejected him, telling him he shouldn’t want to do anything fun when there were more pressing matters to worry about. 

And there were more pressing matters to worry about. Besides Eiko’s potential doom, Medjed loomed over the Phantom Thieves’ heads. The mysterious online hacking group was known to cause huge disasters in terms of information being leaked. And with their recent threats towards the public’s financial information if the Phantom Thieves didn’t turn themselves in soon, the stress was starting to pile up for everyone. Ryuji completely understood where Makoto was coming from - if anything she was the most stressed out of all of them. That didn’t stop him from feeling upset when she rejected his offer to have fun together. It didn’t help to see her clinging to Akira in the dark of Sojiro’s house when the group had gone to see Futaba. Never mind the fact that it had been storming outside at the time and Akira just happened to be the closest person to cling to in fear. 

Jealousy wasn’t an emotion Ryuji felt, but that night he felt it boil his blood as Boss had implied Akira and Makoto were dating and they rushed to bashfully explain that wasn’t the case. He was so glad Ann had popped out of hiding to tell the older Sakura that she was Akira’s girlfriend. Somehow that didn’t stop the fact that each time they entered Futaba’s palace he avoided Makoto’s gaze like the plague and managed to beat on Shadows just a little harder than normal.

A week went by quickly and to no surprise Makoto got a call from Eiko. Reluctantly the faux blond agreed to continue their charade and meet up with the Priestess and her friend. He ran as fast as he could to the Big Bang Burger in Shibuya one afternoon only to find Makoto was the late for once.

“Where’s Makoto-chan?” Eiko asked, tilting her head as she stood outside of the burger joint. “Don’t you two usually travel together?”

“I uhh dunno. Think she was doin’ somethin’ for the student council. Y’know how it is. She said t’meet her here,” Ryuji explained, trying his hardest not to sound like he was pissed off he had to cut training short today for this. The Phantom Thieves would be meeting up to finally collect Futaba’s treasure tonight too and he had wanted to get some extra training in beforehand. He turned to look away from Eiko, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Lover’s quarrel?” Eiko teased, though she didn’t look as playful as she usually did when she was teasing.

“What? No, we just got different things goin’ on. We ain’t always glued together like you and what’s his face… Speakin’ of which, where is h—“

“Sorry I’m late,” Makoto cut in, jogging up to meet them. There was an air of innocence about her, a small smile on her face as she greeted them. “Had to file some paperwork for the student council. Let’s go in, shall we?”

The brunette immediately reached to hook her arm around Ryuji’s and leaned up to peck him lightly on the cheek. He felt his eyes widen and his face burn with a blush before nodding and the three of them entered Big Bang Burger. They ordered their food and sat down and he managed to regain his composure again.

Eiko seemed nervous, looking around and fidgeting with her hands as they waited for their food. “A-Anyways… How have you two been? Well fine I bet, from what Ryuji was saying earlier. I guess I should, like, get to the point, right? I really need your help Makoto-chan.”

“Huh? Why? Is this about the debt?” Makoto asked.

“Yes! Can you lend me some money? I really need it! We managed only to pay off half the debt but Tsukasa ended up breaking another bottle and now we owe even more…” Eiko begged, reaching across the table to clasp Makoto’s hand. 

The Priestess exchanged a look with Ryuji and frowned, her worries confirmed. “He broke  _ another _ bottle?” She repeated, earning her a nod from Eiko. “How?”

“It doesn’t matter how! We barely have enough money to afford the first two bottles now we need to pay off another!”

Ryuji shook his head. “That’s effin’ stupid. It’s not yer debt, why are ya even botherin’ to help him out?”

“R-Ryuji!” Makoto hissed, giving his leg a quick jab under the table. 

A waitress stopped by and dropped their food off, quickly leaving without another word when she noticed the intense atmosphere amongst the three of them. Eiko’s eyes were starting to water, as if she would burst into tears at any moment. Makoto cleared her throat and looked away awkwardly, knowing this wasn’t going to end well.

“Are you saying you won’t… y-you won’t like, help me? Wh-what kind of friend are you? Y-You’re just a heartless, cold robot like e-everyone says you are anyways!” Eiko nearly shouted, causing many of the other diners to look over at them. Makoto sank back into the booth in embarrassment.

“Hey! Ya have no right talkin’ like that about Makoto!” Ryuji shot back, sneering at the other girl. 

“Ryuji, stop this right now…” Makoto hissed again, her face getting redder and redder. She turned to Eiko and gave her a sympathetic look, “Eiko… Look, I’m sorry but I r-really don’t think you should be getting involved with guys like Tsukasa…”

“What?! Like, no way!  _ You’re _ giving  _ me _ dating advice? You? You wouldn’t know like,  _ anything _ about love since you can’t study for it like one of your dumb tests!” Eiko shouted, standing up from her seat and knocking her chair over. “You’re dating the school fuck-up for god's sake, you don’t know anything about actual love!”

“Eiko that doesn’t make any sense…” Makoto replied, but the other girl had already turned to storm out of the restaurant before Makoto was able to finish her sentence.

There was silence between Makoto and Ryuji as they tried to process everything that just happened. It felt like everyone’s eyes were on them. Ryuji felt the familiar boiling over of rage and jealousy as Eiko’s words sunk deep into his skin. He really was a fuck-up, of course Makoto wouldn’t be caught dead dating him if this whole thing were real and not some ruse to help spy on Eiko.

* * *

That night, as they faced the horror of a cognitive version of Futaba’s Mother, he felt the jealousy take over again as Joker managed to save Queen from the pyramid’s peak collapsing on her. Each hit Skull dealt onto Wakaba was filled with rage and aggression he’d never expressed before. Each blow from his barbed-wired baseball bat, each Zio attack from Captain Kidd, was more violent than the last.

He remembered the nights his father would come home drunk, screaming in rage at his mother before using his belt to beat her savagely. He’d blame her and Ryuji for ruining his life; making him work a job he hated, giving him responsibilities he never asked for or wanted. His father was a low-life deadbeat, another fuck-up who wasn’t going to end up going anywhere in life. Like father, like son. His mother would take the beatings so that Ryuji wouldn’t have to. She did it to protect him, to keep him from being violent and aggressive like his father had been. But she’d failed. He’d tried to attack Kamoshida and that cost him his ability to run well. And now he was just as bad as his father, jealous, enraged, and violent. So fucking violent. He was just a fuck-up, like father like son.

He pushed himself to run as fast as his legs would carry him down the side of that pyramid, not because impending death was chasing after him, but because he needed to. Ryuji used to use running as an escape; a way to get his aggression and hatred for his father out without hurting anyone. But now that he’d gone and messed up his leg he couldn’t even do that properly. He needed to run and get away from it all. Especially Makoto.  _ Especially _ Makoto.

He managed to break from his negative thoughts as Makoto leaned up to kiss him passionately after he walked her home that night. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and held him tightly, as if afraid he’d disappear if she let go. Her tongue tasted sweet like peaches and he felt her velvety soft skin under his fingertips as she pushed him back against the door. He didn’t realize they’d taken the wrong route and had ended up at his apartment instead. 

She kissed him hard and suddenly everything felt right with the world again. He decided to get hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I apologize for such a long wait between chapters. Unfortunately my computer has bit the dust and I need a new one. I’ve been saving up for one slowly, but its gonna be a long time before I’m able to afford the one I want. This chapter was written and edited on my iPad though, so I will try to get updates out as soon as I can. 
> 
> Anyways enjoy!!


	12. Hearts Ablaze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get a little spicy and now this fix lives up to its M-rating my guys *chef finger kiss*

The adrenaline rushed through her veins like white water rapids through the Rocky Mountains, crashing into every nook and crevice, splashing against parts of her body she’d never been aware of before. She’d tasted his lips before but there was something new there, a taste she felt she could get addicted to, sweet and bitter all at once. Her hands slipped down his shoulders to grip tightly at the collar of his t-shirt, slamming him against the metal of his apartment door.

The stress of everything they’d been going through was rough on Makoto. She had more than just Phantom Thieves business and Eiko to worry about. Her sister had been acting strangely, and if she wanted to keep her grades up she had to keep studying. And there was student council matters to worry about too. She hadn’t meant to brush Ryuji off like she had, but she could tell it had gotten to him, and Eiko’s words earlier that evening hadn’t helped either. 

“Mm, ‘Koto…” Ryuji sighed against her tongue, his hands slipping into her hair as he fervently kissed her back. 

“Yes~?” She replied sweetly, pulling away only slightly to gaze up into his eyes. There was a dreamy look in her eyes, like she was riding on a high that wasn’t bound to come down any time soon.

“W-what are ya doin’?” He asked, shaved brow quirking up in confusion.

“Practicing. Why? Did I do something wrong?”

“N-No I mean… yer bein’ well… er, kinda forward. It ain’t really like ya.”

“Do you want me to stop?” 

“Not at all.”

She pulled him back in for another kiss, her tongue as sweet and wet as before and her grip on his shirt tighter. Her breath smelled sweet too, minty like toothpaste but with a hint of citrus. He loved it, and leaned into her kiss more so he wouldn’t have to deprive himself of her taste for much longer. His hands gripped at her hips, fingers digging into the fabric of her clothes as if threatening to tear them off then and there.

“Ryuji,” She whispered hotly, her lips shiny and wet. “Let us in…”

“R-Right,” he replied, hand shoving into the pocket of his shorts to dig around for his key. He found it and quickly turned to shove it into the keyhole. His face red and flushed and shorts suddenly feeling a lot tighter than he preferred as he let her in first.

“Is your mom home?” She asked, placing her shoes neatly in the genkan before stepping further into the apartment. 

“She uh… should be workin’ until 8am tonight,” He replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck and following her further into the apartment. He watched her waltz through his place like she lived here too. She headed straight for his room. “Look I love havin’ ya around and all but it’s gettin’ really late and I don’t wanna keep yer sister waitin’ for ya. Prolly already worried about ya…”

“She’s pulling an all nighters at the station with Akechi-kun,” Makoto replied nonchalantly. “She wouldn’t miss me anyways. Besides, I’m too excited still from our battle tonight. You were amazing!”

He felt his cheeks heat up and a dopey grin start to spread across his face. “I w-was?”

“Yeah! You were so cool! I don’t think I’ve seen you fight that hard since our encounter with Kaneshiro!” She beamed proudly at him. “You’re definitely one of the best on the team.”

“Heh.. Yer just sayin’ that.. I uh… For real, though? Ya think I’m that good?” His ears were turning pink.

Makoto giggled airly as she slid open his bedroom door and sauntered in, playfully looking over her shoulder as she did so. Ryuji stood and watched her, arousal rising as she swayed her hips. It was like torture to watch her so carefree like this. Did she even know what she was doing to him?

“I know I’ve been kind of cold lately… Let me make it up to you. Wanna play a round of your favourite game with me?” She asked, curling her finger in a “come here” motion at him. He gulped, not having noticed his jaw had been hanging open the whole time, and followed her into his room, sliding the door shut behind him. His heart was beating so fast he was positive it would burst out of his chest at any moment.

“Ryuji? Y-You okay?” She asked.

“FINE! I’M FINE!” He yelped.

Makoto laughed, hand reaching up to cup over her mouth. “Are you sure about that?” She asked. 

She leaned in close, her lips only centimetres away from his, she stared up at him through half-lidded eyes. He couldn’t tell if she knew what she was doing or if she was thinking completely innocently this whole time. But when he felt his lips meet with hers again he knew she was doing this on purpose. 

“Let’s do something stupid,” she suggested, grinning wildly at him. He’d never seen her act so impulsively since she’d ran off and gotten herself caught by Kaneshiro and his gang.

“M’always doin’ stupid shit,” he shot back with a chuckle. “Whadya have in mind, My Queen?”

Makoto made a move to sit on the edge of his bed and Ryuji followed closely. There was a brief second of awkward silence between them, as if they were contemplating how to go about the next steps. She leaned in close, pressing her lips against his cheek and resting her hand softly against his knee. Ryuji turned to face her a little more and awkwardly put his hands on her hips, his face and ears going pink as she moved to kiss him on the lips again. Slowly her hands slipped up around his shoulders and into his hair, pulling him closer. Ryuji leaned into it, his mind going blank as he kissed her back.

“I kinda like this,” he mumbled against her mouth. “You takin’ the lead…”

“Shut up,” she mumbled back, sticking her tongue into his mouth, making him chuckle.

Ryuji moved his hands slowly under Makoto’s shirt, hesitant at first. But unlike the first few times he’d tried this with her, Makoto did nothing to stop him. So he continued, slowly moving his hands up her sides towards her chest under her shirt. He paused when she made a small noise, but relaxed when she whimpered for him to continue. Heat started to rise between them, her skin warm and soft against his fingers and the lace of her bra felt silky. He felt her lips trail against his jawline and down his neck causing a tumour to run through his whole body and a soft hiss to escape his lips. As if she could read his mind, Makoto’s hand curiously pressed against his growing erection, gently rubbing against the fabric of his shorts and probing the thick member underneath. 

“Uhh.. Y-Ya sure ya wanna…?” Ryuji began, pulling away from Makoto to look at her. A sense of nervousness washed over him.

Makoto’s reply came in the form of a hand on his chest, and with one swift motion Ryuji fell back onto his bed, nerves washing away and replaced with his signature sharp-toothed grin as Makoto hooked her legs around his waist and straddled him. Her face was flushed and flustered but her eyes were sultry and lustful. She gave a small roll of her hips to test the waters, curiously watching his reactions from above. The shuddering groan of pleasure that left Ryuji was rather satisfactory to Makoto. She repeated the action again.

“Okay! Okay! I get it!! Just… Just d-don’t tease me like that!” Ryuji begged, finding it arousing how she seemed so confident all of a sudden.

“Do that thing,” She said breathily, reaching for his hand and guiding it between her legs. “That thing you did to me the n-night of the fireworks festival…” It sounded more like a demand rather than a request, which in turn made Ryuji swallow hard and feel his cock twitch painfully against her thigh.

He nodded quickly, gently pressing the pads of his index and middle fingers against her leggings. She bit back a gasp and he was surprised to feel a wet patch had already began to form on the cotton fabric. “Might be easier if ya took ‘em off,” He suggested, feeling his face grow hotter.

“You too then,” she shot back, smirking at him mischievously.

He let a small chuckle fall from his lips and nodded, “Whatever ya want, my Queen.”

After an awkward struggle to peel out of their clothes and toss them away, they sat together in awe at each others’ naked forms. Makoto licked her lips and tried to avoid looking directly at his groin, curling in on herself as she not-so-subtly tried to hide herself from his gaze. Why was his dick so much bigger than she imagined?! “Er…” She muttered, biting her bottom lip. “I…”

Ryuji reached down between her legs and began to slowly stroke at her slit. He smirked wildly at her when he pulled his hand away to see it slick with her juices. “That excited for me, eh?” 

She whacked him hard across the face, brows furrowed and face as red as a cherry. He laughed, surprised by how arousing the slap felt and relishing in the stinging sensation it left behind. He bucked his hips slightly, biting at his bottom lip to keep a moan from rising in his throat.

“You w-were turned on by that?!” Makoto nearly shouted, 

“What? Yer hot when yer angry!”

“RYUJI!”

He laughed again before pulling her into his lap and hugging her tightly. His lips found hers again and she didn’t resist when his tongue brushed up against her teeth. Eventually his arm snaked its way around her waist and his fingers began to poke and prod at her clit. She squirmed, burying her face in his neck to muffle the desperate moans that wanted to escape. Her nails began to dig into his skin, clawing at his back as his wrist moved piston like to rub and massage the sensitive nub. His cock was turning purple from all the blood rushing to it, engorged and erect as it pressed firmly against her peachy soft thighs. She could feel a sticky wetness leaking from it. Pre-cum. She bit her lip and moved her hips to grind slowly, revelling in the low moan that fell from Ryuji’s lips.

“Nnngh, ‘Koto…” He hissed, brows furrowing in pain. “I c-can’t keep this up… I n-need it badly.”

Makoto felt a shudder run down her spine, the burning in her core intensified and she couldn’t help the devilish smirk that crossed her lips as she watched the sweat bead on his forehead and his jaw hang slack as he panted. She cupped his face in her hands and let the sight of him so desperately needing her sink in. 

“Beg for it.”

His eyes widened in shock as she said it, staring up at her dumbfounded. For possibly the first (or maybe the second) time in his life, Ryuji was speechless.

“You heard me,” Makoto cooed seductively, leaning in so closely he could feel her breath on his skin. “You want me that badly? Then Beg. For. It.”

“Please,” He immediately spouted. He couldn’t stop himself, the pain in his groin was unbearable now, he wanted - no, needed - release so badly. “T-Touch me, Makoto… Use me… Do whatever ya want t’me…  _ Please _ !”

She tilted her head and looked at him blankly, as if she were judging him in a contest. A long, painfully insufferable minute passed before she smirked at him again and licked her lips. “I’m not very good at this though,” she replied. “What if I’m no good?” 

There was a small amount of truth to her feigned worry, but for the most part, she imagined it would be as simple as the way he used his fingers with her. “And you still haven’t finished what you started. I asked you to do that thing you did last week…”

“Wha? Y-Ya mean eating ya out?” He asked, ears going pink. “B-But—“

“No buts. I’m the queen here… You do as I say,” Makoto interrupted. “I want you to use your mouth to pleasure me. Now.”

Ryuji whined in protest, his cock grinding against her thigh and pre-cum leaking down his shaft. “M-Makoto, please! I’m begging ya…”

Makoto smirked again and shook her head before sitting up and lifting her weight off his lap. Ryuji cried out in protest as her warmth shifted away from him and his member twitched needily. She pushed him back against his bed again, his head falling back against the pillow while she crawled her way up his body. She grasped the metal bar of his headboard and straddled her thighs around his face, leaking womanhood near centimetres from his lips. She smelled sweet and succulent, the way fresh fruit smelled the moment it’s been plucked from the tree. Ryuji felt dizzy and felt his whole body ache for her.

“I saw this in a doujin once,” she explained. “You don’t realize how many nasty books I confiscate from delinquents like you at school…”

Ryuji couldn’t help but let out a small moan. A few moments ago he’d have been pissed at being called a delinquent, but the way Makoto said it was seductive and pleasing. He felt her fingers thread into his hair and pull him towards her mound. Immediately he obeyed her silent command, mouth kissing and tongue exploring her folds like he’d done only a few nights ago. His eyes fluttered shut, pleasure rising in his groin as she rolled her hips and moaned his name into the air. She tasted salty and sweet, her juices spreading across his tongue and enveloping him in the flavour. He buried his nose into the small patch of hair above her pubic mound, opening his eyes to gaze up at the face of pure ecstasy as she neared her first orgasm of the night. His tongue swirled against her clit, sending wave after wave of pleasure through her. His hands grasped tightly at her ass, keeping her stationed on her throne. He felt her clench around his tongue, her thighs squeezing his face and all sound muffled for a moment. He bucked his hips slightly, as if to hint to her she should let him in on the fun.

“Oh, fuck, R-Ryuji~” She moaned, mouth agape as she came hard against his tongue. He lapped up every last drop, wanting to do nothing more than please his queen to the fullest. She bent forward and shivered, riding out the last of the climax before she rolled off of him.

“Please, Makoto… I c-can’t…”

“It’s okay. I think you’ve earned your reward…”

She shifted so she was leaning against his thigh, pretty crimson eyes staring up at him in innocent wonder. She managed to actually look at his engorged cock now, taking in the sight and biting her lip in worry. She’d read doujin, but this was the real deal. She remembered the night she spent in her bathtub imagining what to do in this exact situation, but her nerves seemed to be getting the better of her. Ryuji quirked a brow at her, and as if reading her mind shifted so he was sitting up slightly, leaning back against his headboard. He took her hand and guided it toward the long, thick shaft and smirked when he saw how tiny her hand was in comparison to his hand.

“Just don’t tug or hold it too firmly,” He guided, letting her wrap her fingers around his cock. He bit back a moan and tried his hardest not to cum right then and there. He’d never had anyone other than himself touch him like this, and it felt so good he couldn’t hold back for very long. But he’d try his damnedest. For Makoto, especially for Makoto.

Slowly she began to stroke his shaft, looking up at him every once in a while to make sure she was still doing it correctly. She was slow at first, her fingers brushing against the mushroom-like head and teasing the glands as she got into the rhythm. Her speed began to increase the more confident she got, and with Ryuji’s moans and desperate pants the more her confidence grew. The swollen head glistened with pre-cum and Makoto remembered overhearing a conversation from some classmates that boys really loved when girls used their mouths to pleasure them. Hesitant at first, she leaned forward, gauging whether she could even fit it into her mouth or not.

“Y-Ya don’t hafta… D-do that,” Ryuji cut in, staring down at her.

“Wh-what do you mean? D-Don’t boys like this sort of thing?” She asked, pulling away.

“Y-Yeah I mean… Of course I’d love a blowjob b-but like I said before, if ya ain’t comfortable with it then I ain’t forcin’ ya to do it.”

“How do you know I’m not comfortable?” Makoto shot back, annoyed.

“Cause ya keep looking at my dick like it’s a vegetable ya hate t’eat or somethin’,” Ryuji replied.

“Th-that’s…” She puffed out her cheeks in frustration, making him laugh. “That’s not true! And stop laughing!!”

“But yer so cute!”

She blushed, sitting up and turning to look away. She noticed his seldomly used alarm clock flashing the time. The trains had stopped running a minute ago, she couldn’t leave now even if she wanted to. She decided she needed to prove him wrong.

“What if I am comfortable with it? A-And more?” She asked.

“Well, I guess ya wouldn’t have let me get this far if ya weren’t,” Ryuji replied. “Yer the boss tonight, ya already made that clear. I’m just along for the ride.”

Makoto felt her heart flutter, her face heating up again. “Y-Yeah… I…” She began, unsure of how to finish her sentence. She pursed her lips and leaned back down, her butt sticking up into the air as she parted her lips and closed her eyes.

She took a tentative lick at the head of his cock, the overwhelming flavour of salt washing over her tongue. Most girls she knew would find the taste nasty, not sweet enough for their liking. But Makoto found it pleasant, her lips trying not to tug up into a smile as she continued to lick at his cock like it was candy. It could have also been Ryuji’s grunts and moans that enhanced the experience for her,he seemed surprised at first but very quickly found himself relenting to her whims. She popped the tip of his member into her mouth and opened her eyes, vacuum forming in her cheeks as she sucked gently on it. She gazed up at his reactions, pleased by the way he threw his head back in pleasure and the arch in his lower back as he began to buck his hips upwards. He grasped the sheets tightly in one hand, while the other blindly searched for her. She slipped her hand up to meet with his, and he grasped it tightly like his life depended on it. She giggled with his cock still in her mouth, sending a wave of little vibrations down his shaft, he nearly buckled over her at this, groaning her name and growling that it felt “So effin’ good.” 

Makoto was certainly pleased with herself. For her first attempt at oral, she managed to have Ryuji nearly in tears with how good she was making him feel. A sense of pride washed over her and she hummed and pleasantly continued to suck and lick at the throbbing rod between her lips. She managed to use her free hand to gently massage his testicles, fingers rubbing against the loose skin and a sense of excitement washing over her whenever she felt them tense up. 

“M-Makoto I’m… I’m gonna—“ Ryuji gasped. Before he could finish his sentence though she felt hot, sticky fluid hit the back of her throat. 

Makoto immediately pulled away, and coughed. Cum and saliva spilled out from her mouth onto his sheets, pooling there in a thick sheen. She gasped, trying to catch her breath as she watched another spurt of thick, white cum dribble down his shaft.

“Shit! Makoto, I am so sorry!!” He cried out, sitting up straight and reaching out to pat her back gently. “Y-Ya aren’t choking are you? I d-didn’t hurt ya, right?”

“I’m fine,” She sighed, “I’m okay. Thank you, Ryuji. You just surprised me with that, that’s all.”

“I tried to warn ya but…”

“I know.”

“Ya ain’t mad?”

“No? Why would I be?”

A relieved sigh left Ryuji as he pulled her in for a hug. “Thank god. Again, sorry.”

Makoto laughed, hugging him back and pressing small kisses along his neck and jawline. “Thank you,” she added.

“Huh? For what?”

“Tonight… and the other night. I know we were a little...awkward for a bit afterword… but, if we want to convince Eiko we have to do things real couples do, right?” She replied, looking at him innocently again.

Right. Eiko. Ryuji bit the inside of his cheek, knowing he couldn’t tell Makoto his true feelings now. She still thought this was just practice. And it was… Unfortunately for him.

“Y-Yeah.. No problem, Prez,” Ryuji said, adding on a chuckle in attempt to hide the hurt.

“Don’t call me that,” Makoto complained, frowning at him. “Especially after you just came in my mouth!”

Ryuji let out a more boisterous laugh, “sorry! Sorry! I’m just teasin’ ya!”

“Well stop!” Makoto whined. “It’s not funny!”

“I said sorry!”

“And what the hell do you think you’re doing getting hard again?!” She added, feeling his member poking at her thigh yet again.

“Like I said before, yer hot when yer angry~” Ryui cooed. “Don’t tell me yer completely satisfied, Makoto…. I can tell that blowjob turned ya on again…”

“Sh-Shut up!! It did not!” Her eyes were wide, embarrassment washing over her features. But the familiar tingle in her core perked again and she involuntarily rolled her hips against his thigh again.

“Told ya,” He teased.

“I.. I can’t help it,” She confessed, turning her head to avoid looking at him directly. “Y-You make me feel really good…”

Ryuji took this opportunity to lean in and kiss her, tongue moving against hers fervently. He could taste himself still lingering in her mouth and although the taste wasn’t pleasant, he didn’t mind it at all. He pressed a hand against one of her small breasts, fingers kneading at the nipple and toying with it. She moaned heavily against his lips, her hands grasping at his biceps as he slowly lowered her down on the mattress. He hung over her, lips parting as he broke the kiss to gaze down at her body in all its glory. Her skin was like porcelain and her hair in the dim lighting of his room looked dark enough to swallow him. Her eyes stood out amongst everything, gazing up at him with wanton lust. 

Her thighs parted, wrapping around his waist as if it was second nature to her. They both swallowed, their nerves very much apparent. Neither of them had done this before but they had no intention of stopping now. Ryuji positioned himself against her folds, the tip of his cock rubbing up against her clit. She squirmed slightly, pursing her lips and wiggling to indicate she needed him inside her right now. Ryuji closed his eyes for a moment an imagined this was real, that she really was his girlfriend and that this wasn’t just some dumb ploy to better convince her dumb friend of their fake relationship. But… Eiko wasn’t here to see this, was she? Not that he’d want her here anyways.

“Ryuji?” Makoto asked, tilting her head. “You okay?”

He opened his eyes and nodded, “Yeah sorry.. Just psychin’ myself up, y’know? Never done this before so…”

“Same,” Makoto said, eyes closing as she smiled at him. “We’re in this together it seems.”

She hooked her arms around the back of his neck and pulled him in for another kiss, easing their nerves. Kissing was normal for them now, second nature. He had to hold back leaning in to peck her on the cheek when they met up with the other Phantom Thieves these days. But alone or with Eiko around he could kiss her like it was nothing.

“R-Ryuji,” She mumbled between kisses, eyes half-lidded as she stared into his. “I… I want it… I-Inside me.”

Without another word, he slowly pushed his member inside her, letting her folds envelop him. She hissed slightly at first, the sensation very new to her. She dug her nails into his back again, harder this time and threatening to draw blood. He didn’t mind at all, letting the warmth and wetness of her slit wash over him.

“Does it hurt?” He asked, concern in his tone.

She shook her head, eyes shut tightly. “No, not really. It just feels…”

“Tight?”

“Yes.”

“Ah, s-same here… Y-You’re really tight.”

He managed to sheath himself entirely inside her, his cock throbbing against her walls. He panted softly and waited a few moments for her to adjust to his size before slowly beginning to pull back out.

They took it slowly at first, he’d thrust slowly and carefully as if she’d crumble and break if he was too harsh. But the more it started to feel good for the both of them, the more confident they got. Makoto started to buck her hips against his and with that her moans got louder and more frequent. Ryuji took that as a sign he could get a little rougher, thrusting his hips at a faster pace and using one hand to massage and knead at her breasts. The other hand grasped onto her hip, guiding her into him as he continued to piston in and out of her wet, dripping cunt.

She grasped desperately at his headboard and pillow, her back arching as each thrust brought her closer and closer to release. This was a sensation far better than his mouth or fingers, and ten times better than her own hands could ever do. She gasped loudly, his name spilling out of her mouth like a prayer to god and mixed with various forms of “Yes!”, “Right there!”, and “Don’t stop!”

Ryuji didn’t plan on stopping, not until she reached her orgasm. And he planned on letting her have it first since that’s how all the girls in his dirty manga seemed to like it. He pumped his hips harder now, grunting with each thrust as his cock slid deep into her. Her moans and pleas for him to keep going only fueed the fire growing in his groin. He thought about her lovely face, seeing it conort and twist into that of pure heaven as she came and he had to pause to delay his orgasm.

“That’s it,” he cooed into her ear. “You like this don’t you?”

She nodded, her mind starting to go blank from the pleasure.

“Damn… Yer even cuter when you’ve got that look on yer face,” He teased, smirking as he began to peck and nip at her neck.

She was melting under him, she’d never experienced pleasure like this before. Her clit tingled, the sweat on her body felt hot and sticky, the pressure building up in her core was getting to be too much for her. But oh how she wanted him so badly. She wanted this feeling to last forever and as she pulled him closer she felt her thighs clamp tightly around him and her ankles cross behind his back. She held him there, tightly, and silently promised to not let go. 

Which proved to be a bit of a problem. His orgasm was close, he could feel it edging up his shaft the more furiously he pumped his cock inside Makoto. She had thrown her head back, a sharp gasp of air filling her lungs as she rode out her climax. Her juices leaked out of her slit and around him, dripping onto the sheets beneath them while her walls clamped around him like a boa constrictor killing its prey. She let out a rather loud noise, which eventually gurgled into his name being whispered over and over as he relentlessly continued his ministrations. 

“Makoto… Y-ya gotta let go of me… I’m gonna… I’m gonna c-cu—“ He cut himself off with a rather unattractive grunt. The sensation of him cumming overwhelmed them both for a moment before he collapsed against her.

Their breathing slowed, and her legs went slack, freeing him. He shifted to pull out of her and curled up beside her in bed. After a moment or two, he managed to catch his breath and turned to look at her, but her back was turned toward him and she was breathing slowly, as if she’d already fallen asleep. 

“Night then,” He whispered, pulling the blanket up and over them both.

Makoto stared out into Ryuji’s room from her position in his bed, back turned against him. She listened to him wish her a goodnight and waited for a few minutes to hear him snoring. Worry etched into her features as she stared at the alarm clock he barely used, crimson eyes watching the crimson numbers change. She couldn’t sleep. Not now. She’d made a huge mistake and she would never forgive herself for it…

“Damnit,” She muttered under her breath, feeling tears beginning to sting the corners of her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Long time no update. As you all know, my computer is still dead. (Rip MacBook 2011 - 2018 you will be missed) and I’m still saving up for a new one. So writing chapters on my tiny ass iPad mini 3 is uhhhhh a nightmare really. My hands are cramped dudes.
> 
> Anyways I really wanted to get this out yesterday (January 8, 2019) but I was kinda busy cause it was my 26th birthday. SO i had no time to. Anyways, I couldn’t wait to post this so I wasn’t able to get anyone to proof read. I’ll come back and update if I find any errors though.
> 
> Enjoy!!

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to thank the few friends who proofread this for me! This whole story is actually based on an RP CrowGoesCaw and I did on Discord! Anyways, Ryukoto is such an adorable ship and I love it. I tend to gravitate to rarepairs usually. Uploading schedule will be a little all over the place due to school work. Sorry! Thank you for reading and please enjoy!


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